[3] Primo Valentino's dam Dorothea Brooke won one of her ten races[4] and became a successful broodmare who produced the Cherry Hinton Stakes winner Dora Carrington.
Two weeks later the colt was stepped up in class for the Listed National Stakes at Sandown Park Racecourse and finished fourth of the seven runners behind the Mick Channon-trained Rowaasi.
He was then dropped back in class for a maiden race on 12 June at Leicester Racecourse and recorded his first success, leading from the start and winning easily by six lengths from Breathless Dreams.
[6] Jimmy Fortune took over from Eddery when the colt started 4/7 favourite for a minor race at Goodwood two weeks later and won by two lengths from Halland Park Girl.
Ridden by Michael Roberts he started the 15/8 favourite against five opponents including the fillies Kashra and Seazun and the colt Ginola's Magic (third in the Richmond Stakes).
[10] Primo Valentino was reunited with Eddery when the colt contested the Group One Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket on 30 September and started 100/30 second favourite behind Invincible Spirit.
The colt returned to sprint distances four weeks later when he was sent to Germany for the Group Three Bénazet-Rennen over 1200 metres but despite starting the odds-on favourite he again faded in the closing stages after setting the early pace and finished sixth.
Primo Valentino was expected to be retired at the end of the year, but plans were changed: a stable spokesman said "his two worst runs last season were both abroad, so the thinking now is that he might not be a good traveller".