Young trainer takes Pride in stakes debut

There will no public fanfare surrounding the Tancred Stakes meeting at Rosehill but for one young trainer, the day will mark an important career milestone.

Emerging Newcastle horseman Nathan Doyle will have his first black-type runner when Pride Of Adelaide lines up in Saturday’s Tulloch Stakes (2000m).

It is a defining moment for the 31-year-old, who has been training for 18 months, the past six of those from Newcastle.

“We’ve had runners on a Saturday but he is our first stakes runner,” Doyle said.

“It’s exciting for the stable.”

Pride Of Adelaide’s shot at the big time in the Tulloch will come a day after Doyle won his former hometown feature, the $150,000 Muswellbrook Gold Cup with eight-year-old gelding Petrology.

The winner of the 2014 Sandown Guineas when trained by Lindsay Park, Petrology was having his fifth start for Doyle on Friday and stormed down the outside to score by 3-1/4-lengths at $51.

Pride Of Adelaide finished second on debut for former trainer Brett Cavanough before he was transferred to Doyle.

He showed talent on the track at home but his first start for his new trainer was inglorious.

“He got beaten at $1.30 at Port Macquarie. He wanted to run off the track and do everything wrong,” Doyle said.

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“From day dot he has shown us a bit. He always had that acceleration and turn of foot in his work but he just wasn’t mentally there yet.”

Blinkers went on and Pride Of Adelaide responded by demolishing a maiden field at Newcastle by more than seven lengths before backing it up with another facile victory over older horses at Hawkesbury.

Doyle believes he is looking for a middle-distance and the horse handles all track conditions.

“It looks like the perfect stepping stone for him,” Doyle said.

“They’re only three once and he’s back to his own age group.”

Doyle has always been around racing.

His grandfather worked at a stud and a close family friend was a horse trainer, sparking his interest in thoroughbreds.

It is a passion that still burns brightly.

“Ever since I could walk and talk I just wanted to be around horses and be a horse trainer,” Doyle said.

“You never stop learning in this game. It’s hard work, I cant deny that, but its very rewarding as well when you get to wake up to these animals every day.”