Excuses for beaten runners are part of racing, but Joe Pride might just have one of the most unusual — a rogue chicken.

Two years ago, Pride took Coal Crusher north to contest the BRC Sprint (1350m) at Doomben, only for the gelding to run well below expectations. The trainer later revealed a bizarre pre-race experience that left the horse rattled.

“There was a chicken at the stable of Mick Lakey’s and he freaked out at this chicken,” Pride said. “It had him totally psyched out. Of all things, a bloody chicken.”

Determined to avoid a repeat, Pride is stabling Coal Crusher at Eagle Farm for his return to Brisbane in Saturday’s Victory Stakes (1200m).

Coal Crusher comes into the race off a strong second to stablemate Mazu in the Hall Mark Stakes (1200m), and has an excellent record deep into his campaigns. He’s won four of his eight fourth-up starts, including the 2023 The Hunter (1300m).

Drawn the inside gate, the seven-year-old will again be ridden for speed, with Andrew Mallyon taking the reins.

“He’ll go forward as he always does,” Pride said. “There’s a few others that race that way, but it should set up well for him. He didn’t get much luck last time and he’s a tough, seasoned horse.”

The race is headlined by Rothfire, who will attempt to become just the third horse in the past 25 years to win the Victory Stakes twice, following Swiss Ace and Buffering.