Joe Pride’s flying five-year-old Private Eye is tipped to keep the wins coming when he heads back south on Saturday as favourite in 2022 Champions Mile betting for Stakes Day at Flemington.

Nature Strip Stakes winner Private Eye is favourite to win the 2022 Champions Mile down south this Saturday. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

The Al Maher gelding has been in career best form this preparation and is expected to post his third win from four spring assignments it the Group 1 $3 million Kennedy Champions Mile (1600m).

Fresh he was impressive carrying 60kg to a big two length win over Group 1 Newmarket Handicap winner Roch ‘N’ Horse in the Group 2 Gilgai Stakes (1200m) down the Flemington straight.

He went to Sydney next getting a late call-up for the world’s richest turf race and was huge running second behind the surprise three-year-old winner Giga Kick in the $15 million The Everest (1200m).

Private Eye franked The Everest form at Rosehill last weekend when scoring a solid win over Mazu in the $3 million Nature Strip Stakes (1300m) taking his earnings up over $6 million.

Saturday could be another big pay day when he heads back to headquarters and back up to a mile for the first time since his failed 19^th in the Doncaster Mile on a Heavy (9) in the autumn.

Prior to that his 1600m for was good, highlighted by his Group 1 Epsom Handicap victory in 2021 on a Good (4) track.

Rock hard fit in the Champions Mile, he sits top of the odds at $3.10 through Ladbrokes.com.au drawn well in barrier five for jockey Brenton Avdulla.

The danger occupying the second line of Champions Mile betting in 2022 is the Annabel Neasham-trained My Oberon ($4.20) in gate seven with John Allen to ride.

Neasham is hoping for better luck on Saturday after her Melbourne Cup runner, Numerian, got knocked out at the top of the straight eventually walking home over 73 lengths off the winner Gold Trip in Tuesday’s feature.

Her Irish-bred Dubawi gelding My Oberon debuted down under on Cox Plate Day and was impressive posting a 1.5 length WFA victory at The Valley in the Group 2 Crystal Mile (1600m) on Heavy ground.

The Crystal Mile has been a key form race for this over the years, and this galloper was very good there and fitter for the run ahead of Saturday’s test.

It is a tight Champions Mile betting race this spring with a further three runners under double figures for the win with Cascadian ($5.50), Alligator Blood ($6) and Mr Brightside ($8.50) all there to feature in the finish.

The James Cummings-trained Cascadian is drawn the outside gate (11) for jockey James McDonald and is the hunt for a third win on the trot after his Hill Stakes – Craven Plate double in Sydney this prep.

Alligator Blood was an upset all-the-way winner for the Waterhouse/Bott stable in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) two back, and was narrowly beaten when fifth in both the Caulfield Stakes (2.25 lengths) and Cox Plate (2.1 lengths) behind Godolphin gun Anamoe his latest two.

Mr Brightside meanwhile has big race hoop Craig Williams in the saddle as the consistent Bullbars five-year-old looks to improve on his Cox Plate seventh when only 2.6 lengths beaten.

The 2022 Kennedy Champions Mile is set to run as Flemington Race 7 at 4:30pm (AEDT) with full markets thanks to Ladbrokes.com.au available here.

2022 Champions Mile Final Field & Barrier Draw

Table Credit: Racing Australia.