Hidden Motive triumphs in thrilling finish at Randwick
The Private Harry crew stuck again when Hidden Motive scrambled home at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
Hidden Motive, the heavily backed favourite, just held off rank outsider Kujenga in a deceptively tight finish for the Precise Air Handicap (1100m).
Sean Driver of Kurrinda Bloodstock was pleasantly surprised when his colt Hidden Motive was declared the winner.
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'To be honest we didn't think he got the bob,' Driver said.
'But he's a tough horse and was able to win in conditions that didn't suit.
'He will go home now to our farm in the Hunter Valley for two weeks and the big aim is the Coolmore (Stud Stakes) in the spring.'
Talented colt Hidden Motive, trained by Nathan Doyle and ridden by Ash Morgan, was backed from $1.95 into $1.65 favouritism and just held off $81 bolter Kujenga to win by a nose with Matima ($3.80) a long head away third.
Hidden Motive, a stablemate of Kurrinda Bloodstock's exciting unbeaten sprinter and The Everest contender Private Harry, scored his second successive win to complete a promising two-year-old season.
'We feel he is a four-five lengths better horse than what he showed today,' Driver said.
'He overraced, he got pestered in front and did a bit of work there. He will improve a lot.
'Wait until you see him on top of the ground. At home what he shown us, he is absolutely electric.'
Morgan, who has ridden Private Harry to all five wins including the Group 1 The Galaxy this season, also has big opinion of Hidden Motive's emerging potential.
'I thought it was a very good win,' Morgan said.
'He paraded a lot better than he has been and he was very relaxed and switched off.
'Probably that first ten or fifteen metres he was a little switched off, but I let him roll up. That horse (Dubbo Boy) came to him and we just fired each other up a little bit.
'So, it was a really good win. I know it was a very small margin but he was entitled to get beaten.'
Hidden Motive was born and raised at Scone nursery, Cressfield, and was offered as part of their 2024 Magic Millions Yearling Sale draft.
Purchased by Doyle Racing and Kurrinda Bloodstock, the colt's $120,000 price-tag belies his epic pedigree.
For starters, Hidden Motive is a son of the Magic Millions 2YO Classic and Golden Slipper winner, Capitalist.
On top of that, Hidden Motive is the fourth foal of his dam, Secret Agenda, whose seven career wins included the Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes in Adelaide and Group 2 Sapphire Stakes in Sydney.
Hidden Motive is another quality descendant of the racetrack champion and broodmare gem, Denise's Joy.
Driver also revealed Private Harry has returned to Doyle's Newcastle stables to begin preparations for the Group 1 $20m The TAB Everest (1200m) at Royal Randwick on October 18.
'Private Harry has been back in the stables for about two weeks and has put on between 65-80kg – and it's all muscle,' Driver said.
'He has grown about an inch-and-a-half, you've got to remember he's only three so he's still got that bit of growing to do. He looks outstanding.'
Driver revealed Doyle is planning to give Private Harry two lead-up races into The Everest.
'We are going to The Shorts and then the Premiere Stakes before The Everest,' Driver said.
'He will have two barrier trials but whether the first one is in Newcastle – I'll be honest, he doesn't do much at home. He's very lazy.
'He has never beaten a horse home in trackwork. Nathan will have a horse going to Port Macquarie and it will beat him.
'If you're going off his trackwork, you might not sleep at night. But his IQ is through the roof. I imagine he will have his first trial at home, his second trial we'll come to Sydney, an exhibition gallop and then we'll go first-up.'
Just 35 minutes after Hidden Motive's win, Doyle and Morgan completed an early brace when Hellfire Express scored more decisively than his stablemate in the Midway Handicap (1500m).
Hellfire Express ($15) led most of the way and held off the late closing Convergent ($10) to win by one-and-a-quarter lengths with the unlucky Callistemon ($5.50) third just in front of favourite Engine Room ($4.60).
Morgan's breakout season has included his first Group 1 win with Private Harry and another four stakes races. His Randwick double moved him to 98 wins on all tracks this season.
But the in-form jockey is not about to rest on his laurels.
'I don't want to take a break,' Morgan said.
'I feel like I have worked too hard to take it easy now, so I'm just trying to roll while the momentum is good. It has been a magic season.'
Originally published as Promising colt Hidden Motive has spring Group 1 target after digging deep for narrow victory at Randwick
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