Dual Group I winner Pride Of Dubai wasn't out to break any records but the exciting galloper took another step towards a racetrack return with a trial win at Randwick on Tuesday.
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Pride Of Dubai has not raced since he notched his second Group I win in the ATC Sires' Produce Stakes in April last year after bone bruising kept the colt out of the spring.
Training partners Peter and Paul Snowden gave the son of Street Cry a trial over 838m at Randwick in which Pride of Dubai defeated the Gai Waterhouse-trained Dark Eyes and another top three-year-old, the Caulfield Guineas winner Press Statement.
Paul Snowden told RSN the trial served its purpose of helping Pride Of Dubai expend some pent-up energy that had accumulated in his lengthy period away from the races.
"The whole idea today was to get rid of all that nervous energy," Snowden said. "He broke out in a little bit of a sweat before he went out there and got rid of all that nervous energy that he needed to get rid of.
"He hasn't been to the races for a very long time so it was good to have him back.
"He was never going to be pushed out at all. It was mainly just a fitness thing. He jumped well and he travelled quite strongly throughout the trial so it's all good so far.
"He's very fresh in himself and he was always going to trial like that. He wasn't out there to break any records. He won the trial but he was certainly still well within himself."
The younger Snowden said Pride Of Dubai's owners had been patient while the colt got over his issues, despite Coolmore and the China Horse Club paying large sums for shares in the stud prospect.
Snowden the stable intended to give Pride Of Dubai another trial within a fortnight before choosing an autumn starting point for the winner of more than $1.3 million.
"It's basically just a look and see with him. We'll give him another trial in about another 10 days' time and we'll assess his fitness before he goes to the races again," Snowden said.
"We've got to have him right up to the mark and have him ready to go."
