Jump To It!

Denmagic, the mare who put Pfieffer within a length of his first Group 1 victory, was finally led to a grassy paddock for a deserved spell this week after arriving home from Mark Kavanagh’s Flemington stables.

The gutsy mare endured an extended Autumn preparation beforehand that stretched as far north as Eagle Farm, had a quick break in between in late winter, before her final run at Flemington on the closing card of racing for the Melbourne Spring saw her again bank a cheque amongst stakes racing at its best.

After five starts, Denmagic had placed fourth four times and importantly added "career defining" residual value when placing third in the top contest for fillies and mares, the G1 Myer Classic. The mile contest saw a busy finish with nine runners finishing within two lengths of the winner - the light weighted runaway, I Am A Star.

Arriving early Monday morning, Denmagic spent the remainder of the day being pampered and dozing in her box, as the in-house chiropractor entertained her with a soothing massage before her routine check up with the vet to ensure her long journey was as planned.

As Denmagic left for her spelling paddock, where she will be spending the summer before returning for another crack at Autumn’s riches, Pfieffer prepared a number of his new stock for their first attempts at the track with a week of key educational outings keeping the team on their toes.

Beginning with a few trips to the small “bull ring” sand circuit that sits adjacent to Pfieffer’s barn, young horses would work in pairs or groups of three at a steady canter to build fitness and get into an early morning routine that will come to define their racing careers.

Another important step in this educational process is a morning of barrier education to ensure each horse is both comfortable and prepared for the “calm before the storm” that is the starting gates.

Young horses are generally walked through the barriers and given quick openings when being broken in, and this education is continued right through until their first trial when in full training. Barrier manners can easily make or break any racehorse, thus Pfieffer sends his charges on regular trips to the on course gates that epitomise the adage of “practice making perfect”.

What follows is a morning of “jump outs”, the first real indication of how well a horse is coping and coming along with what their trainer is expecting of them. The barriers are moved to the 1600m chute and kept to the outside of the course proper to keep the inside going untouched for race days. In groups of six to eight, horses will be loaded into the gates before breaking and galloping at full speed for 600m to around the 1000m mark, just as the back stretch begins.

“I like to see them be sensible in and around the gates, and then jump well as the barriers open to be balanced and full of running within a few hundred metres” explains Pfieffer.

“It ensures they are not only mentally ready for a trial but gives them an extra solid hit out which will keep them nice and fit”.

Jumping out early on Friday morning were a number of Pfieffer’s up and comers.

The first lot saw “two lovely fillies” head out onto the track. Bandjin Lass, a “big, rangy filly” that is by Hinchinbrook and Imposition, a near black filly by Commands, jumped out together in one of the first heats and were joined by Royal Prerogative, a “nice type” by Haradasun.

The next heat saw Costa Dorado, a bold chestnut mare by Encosta De Lago, “really bounce and run well” alongside her stablemate Launching in a positive hit out that pleased both riders.

The final pair were the two enigmatic boys Hard Merchandise, another by leading sire Hinchinbrook, who joined an energetic Krug in the last jump out of the morning.

“They both had a great hit out as well, so I was really impressed with every horse this morning; they are all on target and about where I want them heading to the trials or to another jump out”.

“It is a long process to have purchased a yearling, had them broken in, waited for them to grow and mature in the paddock before small steps in the stables and little outings. Now it gets down to the business end and we get to see what they’ve got.

“They may need more time but the important thing is patience. If I’m patient enough, hopefully they will do the rest”.