The 3YO colt jumping from a $60k maiden to a $3m slot race after just three starts

Nathan Doyle has a very handy colt on his hands in Private Harry.

The three-year-old made it three wins from three career starts with a workmanlike performance to take out the Petaluma Handicap, a Benchmark-72 on a wet Rosehill track on Saturday.

Private Harry has won his three races by a combined 11.7 lengths which has prompted trainer Doyle to send him to the Gold Coast early in the New Year for a slice of the Magic Millions prize.

The son of Harry Angel, who is a product of Kurrinda Bloodstock, commenced with a three-length romp in a $60,000 Newcastle maiden then trounced his rivals by more than seven lengths in a Benchmark-64 at Hawkesbury before his city win on the weekend.

He’ll now be tuned up to run for a piece of $3 million in the TAB Magic Millions Sunlight over 1110m on January 4.

“Each start we’ve given him he’s just got better and better,” Doyle said on SENTrack’s Country Racing Hour.

“Even at Rosehill, the way that he handled himself out the back in the pre-parade then travelled down (on a soft surface), he’s just like a proper racehorse now.

“Taking him through the grades has been beneficial for his career. The things he does within a race, he now flies out of the gates, he puts himself in a nice spot, he travels well, he makes the rider’s job easy, and he makes my job easy too.”

Doyle continued: “He’s only won a maiden then a Benchmark-64 (and a Benchmark-72) and he’s going to a $3 million slot race (Sunlight) at the Gold Coast.

“I wanted to see him do it again in town to show me that he is ready. He needed to keep stepping up and he showed that he wanted to go in there.

“We’ve got that run out of the road now and I feel that he stepped up to Saturday city grade. I still feel there’s more improvement left to come.

“We can plot our path there now and know that he can be competitive up there.”

No ceiling has been set for Private Harry who according to Doyle is taking everything in his stride as he slices through the grades.

He says he would be right up there with the best horses he has trained to date.

“You can’t really rate them on potential, but he’d be up there with the way he’s doing things,” he added.

“He’s got a beautiful, economical action, he covers the ground well and he recovers well from his races. You wouldn’t even know he went around on Saturday, he pulled up that well.

“The way he’s come through the run is a big tick and we’ve got three and a half weeks until the Gold Coast now. We can freshen him back up and then head to the Gold Coast.”

The Magic Millions Sunlight slot race takes place for the fist time in 2025.

The Doyle stable have a number of runners around New South Wales for the remainder of the week but the best could be saved for this Sunday at Hawkesbury.

“I might have one for you on Sunday at Hawkesbury,” Doyle said when asked for a tip for the punters.

“A horse having its first start for our stable. She’s had two trials for two wins.

“She’s in a 1000m maiden, a horse called Tokyo Lady, a Tassort filly.

“She’ll probably find the right race down there.”

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