He might not like the horse being labelled a veteran, but Joe Pride was all smiles after Eduardo outsped his Rosehill rivals to win the Classique Legend Stakes, justifying his decision to stay in Sydney.
Pride had been agonising over whether to take Eduardo to Melbourne for a rematch with his Everest conqueror Nature Strip next week, or to chase the riches closer to home and he received a sure sign the conundrum was getting to him.
“I get mouth ulcers when I’m under stress. I’ve got about four,” Pride said.
“On his day he can beat Nature Strip, on his day he can beat any horse. I just didn’t really want to travel him at the end of a prep.”
Eduardo ($3 fav) bounced to the front for Nash Rawiller and able to get an uncontested lead, he was always going to be hard to run down.
He scooted further in front turning for home and held Lost And Running ($7.50) at bay by 1-1/4 lengths with Standout ($21) another 2-1/2 lengths away third.
Everest runner-up Masked Crusader ($3.70) was the disappointment of the race, tiring to finish sixth after racing handier to the speed than usual with jockey Tommy Berry saying he’d “just had enough”.
Eduardo’s success came on what was officially the horse’s eighth birthday but Pride said any talk the sprinter was starting to get long in the tooth was premature.
The gelding has been lightly raced and Saturday’s contest was just his 24th start, his trainer adamant there are many more to come.
“There is two seasons left in this horse, I can guarantee you,” Pride said.
“He’s got joints and knees as good as any horse in my stable. There is life in him, and he’ll be around for a while yet.
“I think he might be a horse who, later in life, actually starts breaking a few records for the age of (horses) winning feature races.
“He’s an amazing horse. He’s easily the best horse I’ve ever trained.”
Hugh Bowman was taken with the performance of Lost And Running and predicted he would be a force in the major sprints next year.
“I think he’s gone better today than he did in The Everest. It’s all ahead of him,” Hugh Bowman said.
