Pride pushing on with Estadio Mestalla in The Gong after another poor draw

1 hour ago 2

By Craig Kerry

November 20, 2025 — 5.21pm

Joe Pride will instruct Adam Hyeronimus to take Estadio Mestalla forward from a wide gate in the $1 million The Gong on Saturday as the Warwick Farm trainer looks to cap his outstanding spring with another major win.

Pride already has three group 1 victories this spring, from Attica and Ceolwulf (twice), plus Coal Crusher’s win in the $1 million group 2 The Hunter last week. The trainer now has seven-year-old Estadio Mestalla backing up from an eye-catching run at Newcastle to tackle the mile of The Gong at Kembla Grange on Saturday.

Dylan Gibbons and Estadio Mestalla cruise to victory in the Winter Stakes at Rosehill in July.

Estadio Mestalla, after starting in gate 16, came from last in The Hunter (1300m) to finish just two lengths off Coal Crusher in sixth. He resumed 11 days earlier with a brilliant finish through the pack, carrying 63 kilograms, to edge out stablemate Accredited on the line in the $300,000 1100m Choisir Handicap at Randwick.

Pride had planned to back up Estadio Mestalla in The Gong, even before the Hunter run, and another wide gate has prompted a change in strategy.

“He’s been drawing shitty gates and we’ve been getting back, but I think in Saturday’s race, I don’t want to be back in the second half of the field,” Pride said.

“We’ll just go forward with him and I’ll make a change of tactics. He can do that, no dramas at all. He can race on the speed.”

Jockey Chad Schofield and Brave Pride celebrate Coal Crusher’s Hunter win.

Estadio Mestalla, which has the second-widest barrier on Saturday, raced just behind the leaders before winning The Gong consolation race, a benchmark 88 over 1600m, last year. He also produced a front-running effort to win over 1500m in benchmark 100 grade at Rosehill in August, before going for a rest.

Pride has twin chances, Dragonstone ($7.50) and The Black Cloud ($6), in the day’s other feature, the $300,000 The Warra (1000m).

Dragonstone has run in three of the four editions of the Warra, finishing third in 2022, fourth in 2023 and second last year. Pride hoped predicted rain strikes to improve the seven-year-old’s chances of a breakthrough win. Dragonstone led then faded to finish sixth last start in the Choisir.

“He’ll love that rain to come. If that comes, that’ll be him, he’ll be in the finish,” Pride said.

“He’s much better on rain-affected ground. He went too quick the other day, no doubt about that, but over 1000 metres, you can afford to roll along with him.

“I’m not saying he’s going to lead, but he can go forward. He’s run well in that race before. Last year he got beaten by Headwall [in the Warra] and gave it a heap of weight, so that was a pretty good effort.

“You can look at his form and say he’s not going as well, but I can’t help but feel a good run is around the corner, if he gets the right conditions.”

The Black Cloud, which has two wins and two seconds from five first-up runs, resumes off two trials.

“She’s a very good mare fresh, so she gets her opportunity on Saturday,” Pride said.