Trainer David Pfieffer is handing a clean slate to new recruit Savoir Faire as the lightly raced mare makes her stable debut at Hawkesbury on Thursday.
The five-year-old, formerly with John Thompson, looked a horse of promise with a dynamic win at her first outing in June last year but didn't recapture that form in three subsequent starts.
While Pfieffer expects the Lander Toyota Handicap (1100m) to be a bit sharp for Savoir Faire he said he can learn plenty about her by sending her to the races.
"It's hard to get a guide on her when she won over 1200m and her last start was over a mile,'' he said.
"She's a Teofilo so you'd expect she will want a bit of ground but looking at the horse physically I think she will be best over 1300m-1400m.
"I want to see her get into a rhythm, I want to learn what the best way to ride her is. It'll be a good experience for myself to learn a bit more about her."
It's fair to say Savoir Faire, $16 with TAB on Wednesday, was never going to stand out in her barrier trials. The first, in mid-July, was won by Belluci Babe while she finished near the tail of the field in Eduardo's August 5 trial win.
The Warwick Farm trainer said feedback he's received from those who know the mare suggest she's a more mature horse than when she last raced and he's not placing too much emphasis on her second trial.
"It was a nice trial for a first trial, it was a bit chopped up in her second trial and she had a blow after it,'' he said.
"She will benefit from the run and with having a long time between preparations she's only going to improve in fitness."
A dry track could be the key to a form reversal from Pfieffer's stalwart Laure Me In when he goes into the Listed $185,000 Pioneer Services Rowley Mile (1600m) as an outsider.
He's prepared to put a line through the gelding's second-up Moonee Valley failure.
"We took him down there because we thought we'd get a dry track then it rained,'' he said.
"I'm very keen to see what he can do. He is going super. He is an eight-year-old but you wouldn't know it watching him work and parade."
Rachel King rides Laure Me In, $41 with TAB, and Pfieffer said knowing there should be a genuine tempo will give his horse every chance to perform.
"He has a nice gate, Rachel has won on him before. We are keen to see sharp improvement from him,'' he said.
"Obviously Gai's horse (Cross Talk) is in great form but he's seasoned and knows his job, he's just looking for firmness underfoot."
Duke Of Buckingham returns to Pfieffer's yard, having started his career with the trainer, and will be first-up in the Celebrating Darrin Voss Handicap (1300m) while Glint Of Silver carries some strong form into the Pegasus Roofing Plate (1300m).
The grey finished third behind Myoshi and subsequent impressive winner Aft Cabin on an unsuitably heavy track at Warwick Farm two starts ago before a close third at Kensington.
"I'm keen to see what he can do on a firmer track,'' he said.
"The wide gate doesn't worry me, I dare say he will find himself up on the pace and he'll look dangerous at some stage down the straight."
