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By Ray Hickson

It takes something out of the ordinary to surprise trainer Joe Pride and he admits the rise of Headley Grange has been unusual.

Trainer Joe Pride (Pic: Bradley Photos)

The modestly bred gelding, his dam won three country races from 23 starts, has had a year the average owner or trainer would dream of.

He started 2025 with a rating of 71 and he’ll go into the $3 million Big Dance (1600m) at Randwick on Tuesday as a 112 rater with $1.6 million in the bank.

To put that into context, Headley Grange is rated just five points below Pride’s triple Group 1 winner Ceolwulf (117) and two below his $12 million earner Private Eye (114) thanks to seven wins from 10 attempts in the calendar year.

The five-year-old has won five of his last six starts and is coming off his most important win in the $1.5 million Alan Brown Stakes (1400m).

He now faces his toughest test with 61kg over the Randwick mile.

“He’s just kept winning, honestly he’s surprised me,’’ Pride said.

“That’s always the hardest thing with these horses, prep to prep they’ve got to find improvement and he’s kept managing to do it.

“He’s out of a mare that won one at Warrnambool and two at Wagga, he outran his pedigree a long time ago. He’s probably incapable of a bad race it seems.”

Headley Grange’s only defeat in his past six came in the South Grafton Cup, where he ran sixth as favourite under 62kg, but earned his Big Dance spot winning the Group 3 Cameron Handicap (1500m) at Newcastle.

Another thing that took Pride by surprise was that Headley Grange, $4.60 with TAB on Monday, lost favouritism for the Big Dance when he drew off the track.

He said of all the starting points at Randwick the mile start is one he never concerns himself with and he won’t be blaming the barrier if he is beaten.

“People make way too much out of gates at the Randwick mile, the whole market swung on its head because of the barrier,’’ he said.

Jockey Adam Hyeronimus, who teamed up with Pride to win the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes with Attica, is shooting for four wins on end on Headley Grange and Pride is more than quietly confident about his chances.

“He’s not far off the top grade now. He won the Alan Brown last start and beat Gringotts, he’s almost there,’’ he said.

“It’s a big assignment for him there bit if this rain hangs around it won’t hurt his chances and you just know he’s going to be thereabouts.

“He’s strong at the line, he’s a bloody hard horse to get past. If he’s there at the furlong he’s hard to get past because he’s so tenacious.”

An autumn campaign will beckon for Headley Grange, regardless of the Big Dance result, and Pride said placing the horse will be a challenge with that high rating he owns.

The Warwick Farm trainer has three horses to tackle the $300,000 United Resource Management Choisir Handicap (1100m) and two of them are being set for The Hunter in mid-November.

Dragonstone won the Choisir last year, beating Jedibeel, and Pride would love a wet track to give him a boost though he’d prefer a drier track for Accredited who resumes alongside Estadio Mestalla.

Headley Grange wins the Alan Brown Stakes

The latter pair are headed for $1 million The Hunter (1300m).

“He’s going to go first-up and he’s very good fresh but the drier the track the better for him. He’ll run regardless,’’ Pride said of Accredited.

“Dragonstone won the race well last year and he’d like it wet. He’ll have his blinkers back on and I expect he’ll run very well.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Golden Eagle meeting at Randwick