The Black Cloud won the Taylor Construction Handicap (1000m) last Saturday at Randwick. The three-year-old filly entered the race as the betting sites favourite at $4.40. Despite the odds, trainer Joe Pride was nervous going into the race.
The Proven Thoroughbreds was worried how The Black Cloud performed at her last two trials heading into the Taylor Construction Handicap on Saturday. In the end, there was nothing to worry about.
The Black Cloud wins Taylor Construction Handicap at Randwick

Joe Pride finds another gem with The Black Cloud
Highlights
- The Black Cloud won the Taylor Construction Handicap by 1-1/4 lengths.
- The Black Cloud now has three wins in four starts.
- “She’s a horse who turns up on race day with her best.”
The Black Cloud wins comfortably
Despite the poor prep and her trainer’s worries heading into the Taylor Construction Handicap, the horse racing betting apps were confident about The Black Cloud coming out on top.
The three-year-old filly lived up to her favourite tag, steadily taking a lead over the competition from the jump. The Black Cloud would go on to win the race 1-1/4 lengths ahead of Passeggiata ($6). Scott Collings’ Mogo Magic ($7) finished in third, just a nose out of second place.
The Black Cloud now has three wins in four starts.
Joe Pride cautiously talks up The Black Cloud
After the race, Joe Pride talked at length to the media about his new star. He was quick to point out his doubts about how The Black Cloud would perform today and that she surprised him a little in the race.
“We had in mind going to Scone with her and we just didn’t think she had trialled well enough to put her on a float and go all the way to Scone,” Pride said.
“She trialled, not conservatively, but maybe a little bit below what she was capable of doing. She’s a horse who turns up on race day with her best and we have continually seen that from her. She is a filly who is building a really good record and she’s going places.”
Where will The Black Cloud go next? We don’t know. Pride didn’t want to say anything concrete about the filly’s future.
“I wanted to see how she came back,” the trainer said.
“You can get carried away saying you’re going to go here, here, and here and all of a sudden, you haven’t got the horse and you’ve told everyone where you’re going. I’ve been there a few times. It’s easy with good horses, but with progressive horses it is never that easy.”
While pride didn’t know exactly what is next for The Black Cloud, he was willing to make a big prediction about just how good the filly can be.
When asked if The Black Cloud could ever be a leading, black-type horse, Pride said “You’d have to think so because she is so lightly raced and she is already beating up the older horses, you’d have to suggest she could be.”
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I am an avid horse racing enthusiast and punter. Growing up in Randwick, I have been surrounded by racing through stories from the elderly’s past endeavours to the racecourse and owners that are friends of the family. I am also a data-scientist and am fascinated and intrigued by the algorithmic approach to form. I’ve has become more involved with racing over the past few years due to simultaneously delving deeper into the sport and learning how to apply a data driven approach to punting. Beyond Racing, I am an avid NRL fan and MMA fan, the latter of which I have largely applied the same philosophy of methodical, data driven punting towards and found solid success in the MMA space and I continue to track and improve my strategies.