David Pfieffer's phone wouldn't stop ringing on Friday.
First there was the breeder of his South African import, who just wanted someone to give his old horse a pat. Then there were the breeder's Sydney-based mates, who raced his mother and want to visit the most peculiar horse racing in Australia this weekend.
Comeback: David Pfieffer.Credit:Jenny Evans
It proves there are comebacks in racing, then there is King's Bay. The eight-year-old has had one start in almost six years. His last start was almost two years ago. Over that span, he's injured two tendons. He's been to Hong Kong and never set foot on Sha Tin, bought out of an Adelaide sale and sent to the races at Moonee Valley.
How he's managed to pop up in Sydney now ready to race at Randwick on Saturday is one of racing's crazy little tales.
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"A couple of blokes from Canberra were involved in a horse with me and they rang me up and said, 'we've got this old horse here that's had a few tendon issues and it might be worth taking him on'," trainer David Pfieffer said.
"They gave me his name and I looked him up and saw that he was eight years old. I saw he had a good win ratio. I thought, 'I'll take it on. I've got nothing to lose'."
That, he doesn't. But many are entitled to wonder is there anything really to gain? Judging on King's Bay latest trials, there might be plenty if he can reproduce this at the races.
"We've taken him slowly in the stables and we haven't pushed the button on him at home for a couple of reasons," Pfieffer said.
"I don't need him to show me he can gallop because on record you can see he can gallop. And it's not like he needs to learn how to gallop.
"It's about taking slow steps and the plan was to give him three trials, but with all the rain delays we only had two trials. But I thought his two trials have both been good.
"I think he's still lacking a bit of core fitness given he hasn't raced for two years. But his attitudRead More – Source
David Pfieffer's phone wouldn't stop ringing on Friday.
First there was the breeder of his South African import, who just wanted someone to give his old horse a pat. Then there were the breeder's Sydney-based mates, who raced his mother and want to visit the most peculiar horse racing in Australia this weekend.
Comeback: David Pfieffer.Credit:Jenny Evans
It proves there are comebacks in racing, then there is King's Bay. The eight-year-old has had one start in almost six years. His last start was almost two years ago. Over that span, he's injured two tendons. He's been to Hong Kong and never set foot on Sha Tin, bought out of an Adelaide sale and sent to the races at Moonee Valley.
How he's managed to pop up in Sydney now ready to race at Randwick on Saturday is one of racing's crazy little tales.
Advertisement
"A couple of blokes from Canberra were involved in a horse with me and they rang me up and said, 'we've got this old horse here that's had a few tendon issues and it might be worth taking him on'," trainer David Pfieffer said.
"They gave me his name and I looked him up and saw that he was eight years old. I saw he had a good win ratio. I thought, 'I'll take it on. I've got nothing to lose'."
That, he doesn't. But many are entitled to wonder is there anything really to gain? Judging on King's Bay latest trials, there might be plenty if he can reproduce this at the races.
"We've taken him slowly in the stables and we haven't pushed the button on him at home for a couple of reasons," Pfieffer said.
"I don't need him to show me he can gallop because on record you can see he can gallop. And it's not like he needs to learn how to gallop.
"It's about taking slow steps and the plan was to give him three trials, but with all the rain delays we only had two trials. But I thought his two trials have both been good.
"I think he's still lacking a bit of core fitness given he hasn't raced for two years. But his attitudRead More – Source
