Trainers have concocted many a wild excuse for a racehorse being beaten but rarely has an intimidating chicken been one of them.
Two years ago, the Sydney-based Joe Pride took Coal Crusher to Brisbane for the BRC Sprint (1350m) at Doomben where he started well in the market and finished down the track.
Pride said there was a good reason the gelding disappointed: his interstate campaign was derailed by a rogue member of the avian family.
“I took him up there two years ago. He had a rough trip and he is quite a timid horse,” Pride recalled.
“There was a chicken at the stable of (Deagon trainer) Mick Lakey’s and he freaked out at this chicken. It had him totally psyched out. Of all things, a bloody chicken.
“So I am taking him to stay at Eagle Farm this time and I’m going to avoid the chicken. He was terrified of it.”
Coal Crusher returns to Brisbane for the first time since his chicken encounter to tackle Saturday’s Victory Stakes (1200m) at Eagle Farm.
He arrives in solid form having finished a last start second to stablemate Mazu in the Hall Mark Stakes (1200m) during the Sydney autumn and generally improves deeper into his campaign, winning half of his eight fourth-up runs including the 2023 The Hunter (1300m) at Newcastle.
The seven-year-old has drawn the rails and will have Andrew Mallyon in the saddle with Pride confirming they will adopt the horse’s usual tactics and go forward.
“He will be ridden for speed as he always is. There are a few others there in the same boat, but that’s a nice set-up for him,” Pride said.
“He didn’t have the best run in transit last start. He is a good, tough, old campaigner and this is a good opportunity for him up in Queensland.”
Rothfire, who captured the Victory Stakes two years ago, headlines the field as he bids to become just the third horse in the past 25 years to win it twice after Swiss Ace (2008-09) and Buffering (2011, 2013).