By Glenn Davis
Sydney trainer David Pfieffer is hopeful his “Lady Luck” in Queensland can continue with I Am Excited in the Group 2 Victory Stakes at Doomben on Saturday.
Pfieffer, who has been training for only 10 years, has a great record with fillies whenever he brings them north from his Warwick Farm base.
Pfieffer’s biggest Queensland win was with Graceful Anna who won more than $1 million in prizemoney during her career including the Magic Millions Trophy in 2010 as well as the Group 3 Vo Rogue Plate and Listed Silk Stocking.
He also trained Cradle Me who claimed the Group 2 Dane Ripper Stakes at Eagle Farm in 2016 and Gai’s Choice, winner of the Listed Gai Waterhouse Classic at Ipswich in 2012.
“I’m not sure why it is but I’m known more for training fillies,” Pfieffer said.
“Perhaps I get it from my old boss, (the late) Tony Wildman who was a great trainer.”
Pfieffer has a big opinion of I Am Excited and expects her to finish her career with a better record than six-times winner Graceful Anna and Cradle Me who won 11 times.
“I Am Excited is more brilliant than Graceful Anna and Cradle Me who were very tough mares,” he said.
“By the end of her career I expect I Am Excited will have a better record.”
I Am Excited is aiming to become the first filly to claim the Victory Stakes since the Gai Waterhouse-trained Wager was successful in 2005.
The only other filly to win the race in the past 20 years was the John Hawkes-trained Only Words in 2004.
I Am Excited is in a purple patch of form with three wins from her past four starts and will be ridden by Michael Cahill in her Brisbane debut.
The daughter of Snitzel won the Listed Fireball and Listed Darby Munro Stakes during the autumn carnival in Sydney before finishing a creditable third to Catchy in the Group 2 Arrowfield Stakes at Randwick on April 14.
“There were no real excuses in the Arrowfield as she was beaten by a better horse on the day,” Pfieffer said.
Pfieffer in undecided where to head next with I Am Excited and hopes to get a better idea after her Victory Stakes assignment.
“She’s got to prove herself at weight-for-age before we look at anything bigger and she is up against the Stradbroke winner, Impending,” he said.
“It’s a good field and you have to be scared of Impending.”
Racing Queensland webnews April 27