The jumping career of Practiced has been put on hold with the former Lloyd Williams-owned galloper gearing up for another Flemington flat run.
Practiced was purchased by Warrnambool-based trainer Simon Ryan for $50,000 with a jumping career in mind, but success at Flemington nearly three weeks ago means he will keep to the flat racing for a bit longer.
The rising seven-year-old is set to contest the fifth heat of the Banjo Patterson Series (2500m) on Saturday with victory ensuring connections will recoup their original outlay.
Ryan, a horse breaker with just one other horse in work, said Practiced would eventually race over jumps when his form on the flat starts to falter.
“We’re probably going to miss this season with him, particularly if his flat form holds up,” Ryan said.
“He’s been well schooled and he’s a talented jumper.”
Ryan said the open spaces at Flemington and the likelihood of a favourable track condition will be a plus.
Practiced has only had three runs since joining Ryan, finishing fourth and second respectively on South Australian country tracks before his Flemington 2550m win.
“He ran well at his first two starts for us but they were on very heavy tracks and the girls that rode him both said he seemed to struggle when the pressure came on,” Ryan said.
“When you look at his form his best has been on the good to dead range and also on bigger tracks as he’s a pretty big horse.”
One of Practiced’s better performances before joining Ryan came when he finished second to former French galloper Puissance de Lune in the 2012 Bendigo Cup.
Ryan said Practiced did most of his training on the beach but schooled over hurdles and had a gallop on the course proper on Monday.
Practiced carried 55.5kg to victory at Flemington last time and will drop to 52kg on Saturday with apprentice Michael Dee again in the saddle.
