BOWMAN BOOKED FOR GRACEFUL ANNA

Champion jockey Hugh Bowman has been booked for MM Trophy winner Graceful Anna for her racetrack return in the coming weeks.

Just under 12 months ago, emerging Warwick Farm trainer David Pfieffer was flying high after his greatest racetrack success on the Gold Coast.

Following that win in the $1 million event, he set Graceful Anna for the Stradbroke, where she started one of the favoured runners, finishing midfield.

In the lead-up to the Stradbroke she won the Listed Silk Stocking on the Gold Coast and finished third and fourth respectively in the Group III BTC Classic and the Group II QTC Cup.

She suffered a minor injury and hasn’t raced since, but has competed in one barrier trial, finishing fourth to Electric Dreams at Rosehill on December 21.

“I was wrapt with the way she trialled, considering we asked her to do so little,” Pfieffer said.

Graceful Anna’s next assignment will be another Rosehill barrier trial on Tuesday where Bowman will partner the mare.

“The plan is to trial her and then run her first-up in the Canterbury Classic (1100m, January 14), where Hugh Bowman will ride her,” Pfieffer said.

“We’ll take it step-by-step and aim to get some Group I in her pedigree, but her second-up run will be probably the Expressway or Breeders Classic, and then we will look to the Group I Robert Sangster Stakes in Adelaide.

“With the injury from the Stradbroke, we’ve given her more time in the paddock and she has done very well and come back a lot stronger.

“She obviously has to have strengthened-up to compete with the best mares now.”

Whilst Pfieffer has Group I goals for Graceful Anna, he has the more immediate task of saddling-up Gai’s Choice in the Happy New Year Handicap (1400m) at Randwick on Saturday.

“Her first-up win was good, but was a little bit disappointing at her next run at Canterbury,” he said.

“We have got her over a couple of speed-bumps since that run so she should hopefully run well.

“If she does, she’s a Magic Millions horse so we may look at having another tilt at the Guineas.

“She races on the speed so that is a big plus on the Gold Coast.”