Trainer Nathan Doyle and jockey Ash Morgan to combine with Hidden Motive at Randwick on Saturday
Hidden Motive, the talented two-year-old, is at $2.40 with TAB Fixed Odds to score his second successive win and get favourite backers off to a good start in the Precise Air Handicap (1100m).
A striking two-year-old colt by Newgate Farm's leading sire Capitalist, Hidden Motive notched his maiden with a runaway win at Hawkesbury last start.
This came after a first-up second to classy Aerodrome at Warwick Farm then his third placing behind promising duo Grand Eagle and Akaysha at Randwick.
The form around both those defeats stood up which only frustrated Doyle that he had to wait for the Hawkesbury race for Hidden Motive to finally break through.
'To be honest I was a bit disappointed Hidden Motive was beaten at Warwick Farm and Randwick,'' Doyle said.
'He shows us so much at home and I expected he would win those races but he's needed the experience and has improved with racing.''
Hidden Motive was ridden more conservatively at Hawkesbury with Morgan keeping a tight hold on the colt under well into the straight.
Morgan gave Hidden Motive more rein at the 250m and the colt bounded away to win by nearly four lengths – but the margin could have been even greater if the two-year-old was put under more pressure by his rider.
Despite coasting over the line, Hidden Motive was still timed to run the 1100m in 1m 03.55s (last 600m in 34.12s) even though the Hawkesbury track was rated a soft 7 that day.
Hidden Motive was purchased for $120,000 at the Magic Millions Yearling Sale last year and races in Driver's Kurrinda Bloodstock colours of white, pale blue star, striped sleeves and royal blue cap that are synonymous with unbeaten sprint sensation Private Harry.
AERODROME (2 g Ole Kirk - She Shao Fly) gets the better of race favourite Hidden Motive to win on debut 🚀
The gelding by @VineryStud 's OLE KIRK was a $190,000 @GilgaiFarm @inglis_sales Easter buy and gives his sire a 9th winner ðŸ'ˆ @MFreedmanRacing https://t.co/6nevlyYour
— ANZ Bloodstock (@anz_news) April 16, 2025
Driver also shares Doyle's opinion of Hidden Motive's emerging talent.
'When he ran in the Breeders Plate at the start of the season, he should nearly have won that day,'' Driver said.
'Then, we went to Warwick Farm for his return to racing and we were thinking he just wins, nothing would beat him, but he had to carry more weight than Aerodome that day and was narrowly beaten.
'We felt he might have been a bit flat second-up with 10 days between runs so we gave him three weeks before Hawkesbury and that was the horse we have seen at home.''
Both Doyle and Driver are hoping Hidden Motive can emerge as a big-race contender as a spring three-year-old.
The trainer and syndicator also have promising three-year-old filly Queen's Rhapsody lining up in a class 1 race at Newcastle on Saturday.
Queen's Rhapsody, a daughter of Coolmore's champion sire So You Think, ran second in four successive races to start her career then resumed to win her maiden easily at Hawkesbury last month.
'We feel Queen's Rhapsody is a stakes class filly every day of the week,'' Driver said.
'She's still six months away but the form around her is just incredible and she is going really well.''
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Doyle has had a memorable season highlighted by Private Harry 's brilliant form including the Group 1 The Galaxy and The Sunlight, and the sprinter's selection for the $20 million The Everest at Royal Randwick in spring.
Private Harry, who returned to training this week, gave Doyle his first Group 1 win and has been central to the trainer's career-best season which has yielded nearly $4.5 million prizemoney for his stable.
'You don't get much chance to reflect in this game,'' Doyle said. 'The wheels keep turning so you can't rest on your laurels or you get left behind.''
With this in mind, Doyle's focus was back on his other Randwick runners with Hellfire Express and Rush Attack in the Midway Handicap (1500m) and Wooloowin and Super Bright clashing in the Asahi Super Dry Handicap (1400m).
Hellfire Express ran sixth behind Flying Embers in a Randwick Midway two weeks ago and Rush Attack has been freshened since finishing unplaced at Hawkesbury in early April.
Rush Attack attacks the line to win the Midway second up at Rosehill for @ZacLloydx and @ndoyleracing! 🙌 @aus_turf_club pic.twitter.com/2E7lt5xSLM
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) February 22, 2025
'I thought Hellfire Express was good last start, he had to carry at least 4kg more than any other horse in the race and on a very heavy track but he wasn't beaten far,'' Doyle said. 'He definitely has one of these Midway races in him.
'Rush Attack had a trial on Monday to keep him ticking along and he will either run at Randwick or play at home (Newcastle) on Saturday.''
Wooloowin has been unplaced in successive stakes grade runs in the Birthday Card Stakes during the autumn carnival and then the Dark Jewel Classic at Scone so she will appreciate the drop in grade for Randwick.
'She's a good mare and I'm expecting her to run well on Saturday,'' Doyle said.
Super Bright has never raced beyond 1300m in her 33-start career but Doyle believes the mare deserves her chance.
'I want to try her at 1400m and have her ridden quietly,'' Doyle said. 'She should be competitive because she's always around the mark.''
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Doyle's Oaks hope 'flying under the radar'
Trainer Nathan Doyle believes his promising filly Churchill's Choice is 'flying under the radar' going into the Group 1 $700,000 Queensland Oaks (2200m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
Churchill's Choice has been winless in three starts leading into the three-year-old fillies classic but Doyle said there has been merit in each of her losing efforts, particularly last start when fourth to Philia in The Roses.
'She should nearly have won first-up (fourth behind Lilac in the James HB Carr Stakes) then ran a super race to finish second (behind Depth Of Character) in the Queensland Guineas,'' Doyle said.
'But then we gave her three weeks between runs going into The Roses and she was trapped three wide with no cover.
'I thought it was a really good run last start and she seems to be flying under the radar a bit going into the Oaks.''
In latest TAB Fixed Odds betting for the Queensland Oaks, Churchill's Choice is rated at $12 behind $4.20 favourite Philia.
Churchill's Choice storms home to victory at Randwick and defends her unbeaten record! @RachelK11 | @ndoyleracing | @aus_turf_club pic.twitter.com/dyawlHvztH
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) December 21, 2024
Churchill's Choice won her first three starts last summer including her defeat of older horses over the Randwick mile course in December which convinced Doyle to set her for the Oaks.
Although Churchill's Choice hasn't won beyond 1600m, her trainer is adamant the filly will run a strong 2200m on Saturday.
'I have no dramas with her going to 2200m,'' Doyle said.
'She shows us she can stay and is primed fourth-up for the Oaks.
'If she can get a nice, economical run in transit then she should be in the finish.''
Churchill's Choice's sire line is laden with stamina genes. She is by Churchill, who has already sired the winner of a French Derby and Oaks, and the filly's grandsire is the legendary Galileo, the former champion racehorse and winner of the 2001 English Derby before becoming arguably the most influential stallion of the modern era.
Galileo, Coolmore's champion stallion who died in 2021, sired a record five winners of the English Derby and Oaks.
In England this weekend, the world's most famous three-year-old classics, the Oaks (first run in 1779) and Derby (first run in 1780), are being run at Epsom Downs.
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