On The Road Again

Team Pfieffer will send two horses to the two scheduled meetings in NSW for the "recovery day", one chasing an overdue maiden breakthrough and the other a true veteran of the stable who begins his spring campaign in Sydney.

The warm spring afternoon predicted in Sydney will be to the liking of seasoned galloper Chestnut Road, entered in the Schweppes Handicap at Warwick Farm. The Pfieffer team are understandably fond of the 7YO gelding fondly known as "Chester", who boasts a prizemoney haul of close to $200,000 with 5 race wins and 11 minor placings from 28 starts.

Chestnut Road, by the former champion sire Encosta De Lago, has won impressively over a range of distances from 1400m to 1800m, and been placed at both 1900m and 2100m to demonstrate his above average ability and versatility that define the best of the sire's progeny.

"He's the gentleman of our stables and a horse that keeps the best of company each season" Pfieffer said.

"The 'Encosta's' tend to get better with age and this bloke has a great record when second and third-up".

That isn't to say the charismatic chestnut will not be sighted in his first start back from a spell this afternoon.

"He gets a gun barrier and arguably the top jockey in Sydney in Tommy Berry, plus with two trials under his belt he shouldn't be found out after the 1400m" commented Pfieffer.

Chestnut Road was bred to be an athlete, having been conceived during Encosta De Lago's "Golden Years" when the stallion reportedly commanded a $300,000 service fee in 2008, highlighted by the deeds of Road To Rock, Sacred Kingdom, Sirmione, Princess Coup and the star miler Racing To Win.

From a British-bred daughter of Fasliyev (USA) in Crimson Dawn, Chestnut Road was purchased by Pfieffer as a yearling at the 2011 Magic Millions yearling sale for $120,000 from breeder Coolmore Stud. Chestnut Road's younger full-sibling is the dual Group 2 winning mare Miss Rose De Lago, trained in Melbourne by Danny O'Brien.

At Muswellbrook the chocolate brown gelding Who's A Star seeks retribution in the TAB.com.au maiden handicap over 1280m.

The son of Star Witness was left with too much to do in a "chop and change" style of race at Kembla Grange last start and faces a lesser grade of competition on Monday with Mitchell Bell once again in the saddle.

"He's been working towards a win and certainly shown enough promise in his work at home to suggest he will bounce back" said the trainer.

The stable will saddle three runners at Nowra on Tuesday afternoon to continue a busy week of runners and trialling horses.

Sworn In contests the 1600m Hanlon Windows Maiden, Immortal Miss drops back in grade and is ready for the 1400m Sussex Inlet Probus Class 1, and Sir Douglas, a new addition to the stable, has start number 2 as a 5YO in the Carlton United Maiden over 1200m.

All three horses will be ridden by Bobby El-Issa, a rider who regularly answers the call of the Pfieffer stable from trials to race day.

Thursday sees the return of the beautifully bred Refuge Bay, a daughter of the Cox Plate champion Savabeel from a three-quarter sister to the Group 1 winning mare Nechita in America Bay.

The filly is first-up over the 1100m in the maiden handicap and showed plenty of ability in her first two starts when unlucky not to break her maiden at Goulburn over 1200m.

"She's a lovely filly with a big future ahead of her and a pedigree that is lined with quality. I think she will really hit her straps over a bit of distance but won't be without her chance at that grade when fresh".