The Joe Pride trained So You Think gelding Think About It has charged through the grades this year and looks set to keep his winning run going in Brisbane with a stylish first up victory in the Listed Takeover Target Stakes (1200m) at Gosford on Saturday.
Given a short break after winning the Group III ATC Liverpool City Cup at the end of February, he was given a recent trial to tune him up for this assignment and was fit and ready to fire.
Ridden patiently by his regular rider Sam Clipperton, Think About It had too much class for his rivals, cruising into the race from midfield to power clear and win by half a length.
Pride has won the Takeover Target four times previously and while his past winners include multiple Group performer Ball Of Muscle, he believes Think About It might be the best of them.
“It’s been a good race for us and this is probably the best horse of mine who has won it, potentially anyway,” Pride said.
“It was a good effort given the way the track is playing.
“It was a slowly run race, big weight to carry, Sam (Clipperton) rode him exceptionally well given the conditions and he just finds a way to get the job done this horse.”
Think About It will now head to Queensland where his main aim is the Group I BRC Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm in June.
A $70,000 Inglis Premier purchase for Proven Thoroughbreds / Joe Pride Racing from the Newgate Farm draft, Think It Over was bred by Lightning Thoroughbreds and foaled and raised at Newgate.
He has the imposing record of seven wins and a third from eight starts with prizemoney just shy of $450,000 and is a half-brother to metro winner Private Cheetah from Tiare, a winning half-sister by Flying Spur to Group II winning sprinter Keen Array.
His grand-dam is by Zabeel and the family features two Group I winners in Hong Kong in The Duke and Sky Field, so there is plenty of quality on the page and So You think has produced Group I winners from daughters of both Flying Spur and Zabeel.
Tiare was sold through the Newgate Consignment at the 2021 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale for $150,000 to Tasmania based Grenville Stud.
