After a narrow loss in last year’s Pioneer Sprint (1200m), the Garry Lefoe-trained Expert Witness has returned to Alice Springs in his quest to claim the race.
The feature is scheduled for April 6 during the Alice Springs Cup Carnival.
Expert Witness, with eight wins from 18 starts, looked set to win his first Pioneer Sprint before the Terry Gillett-trained Supreme Attraction swooped late to win by a neck.
The son of Star Witness, a five-year-old gelding these days, was unlucky after drawing the outside gate in the 12-horse field.
He takes on decent opposition – Kerioth, City Regal, Red Wraith, Throw At Da Stumps and Supreme Times – when he returns in a Benchmark 76 (1100m) on Saturday.
With four wins after a spell, Lefoe expects Expert Witness to be competitive.
He’s under the guidance of Darwin apprentice Jade Hampson, who rode the horse in last year’s Pioneer, in the Red Centre.
“I’ll be down there on Friday, it’s taken a while to get him back,” Lefoe said.
“I’ve had him in work for a little while, he struggled with the heat during build up.
“We just backed off and took our time with him, it will be good to have him back at the races.
“He’ll want the run first up, but it’s not his grand final.
“I’m looking at giving him another run in the Lightning (1000m), then on to the Pioneer.”
Under the guidance of fellow Top End trainer Tayarn Halter, Expert Witness made his Alice Springs debut a year ago and saluted over 1000m (BM76) before coming second over 1200m (WFA) after pushing NT star Savatoxl to the limit.
Following the Pioneer Sprint, the former Queensland galloper returned to Darwin and won over 1100m in open company on Day 1 of the Darwin Cup Carnival in July before picking up a foot abscess.
He missed the Palmerston Sprint (1200m) and was set to appear in the Montgomerie Lightning (1000m) on Cup Day before injuring his leg.
Expert Witness finally returned in early September, where he finished last in a seven-horse field over 1000m (BM76).
A post-race veterinary examination revealed no abnormalities.
Expert Witness was spelled and will have his first start for Lefoe, who returned from a suspension last October for the first time since February 2022.
With a rating of 81, Expert Witness appears infrequently as he receives the big weights, and this weekend he has 61.5kg.
“There isn’t too many high-class races around in the off-season, so we just took our time bringing him back,” Lefoe added.
“He’s building a nice sort of record, and hopefully he can continue with that.
“He ran great in the Pioneer last year, and he was super in the other starts he had in Alice, so he obviously likes the track.
“He’s a good horse, but he hasn’t won a major yet – he’s definitely got the ability to do so.
“I’ve won a Palmerston with Niccoco, the Alice Cup with I Am The Fox, and the NT Derby with Budget King.”
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