Joe Pride Hunts another feature win in 2025 The Hunter

After celebrating a memorable result on Champions Day at Flemington, trainer Joe Pride is ready for another feature challenge, this time in the 1300-metre $1 million The Hunter at Newcastle.

Pride will present a four-pronged attack led by former race winner Coal Crusher, with stablemates Accredited, Estadio Mestalla and Golden Mile all nominated for the feature sprint.

The Hunter follows on from Ceolwulf's stirring victory in the Group 1 Champions Mile last Saturday, and Pride believes his stable is peaking at the right time.

“Coal Crusher was a nice run in the Russell Balding and there’s the two horses that went really well the other day – they ran one-two at Randwick – so it’s a strong hand in what will be no doubt a competitive race,” Pride said.

A total of 29 nominations have been lodged for the race, with leading opposition likely to come from The Ingham winner Robusto, his stablemate Iowna Merc, polished sprinter Airman, the up-and-coming Yorkshire, and Maher-trained European recruit Darnation.

Coal Crusher has a rich history in The Hunter, having won the feature in 2023 before returning to finish third in the 2024 edition. His latest outing produced a solid fourth in the $3 million Russell Balding Stakes behind Jimmysstar.

Estadio Mestalla and Accredited both head to Newcastle in winning form after fighting out the finish of the Choisir Handicap on Melbourne Cup Day, the former proving strongest late.

Golden Mile, however, has been below his best this preparation, finishing midfield in the Russell Balding Stakes, and Pride is hoping the gelding can rebound.

“He’s been disappointing so far so I’m hoping he can find something, because he needs to find a couple of lengths,” Pride said.

For those placing a wager on The Hunter, compare prices using the Australian betting sites list.