It’s not every day a chicken is blamed for a disappointing race performance, but trainer Joe Pride says that’s exactly what derailed Coal Crusher’s Queensland campaign two years ago.

Heading into the BRC Sprint (1350m) at Doomben, Coal Crusher was a strong market fancy but finished well down the field. Pride later pointed to a bizarre encounter with a resident chicken at the stables as the cause.

“He is quite a timid horse,” Pride said. “There was a chicken at Mick Lakey’s and it had him totally psyched out. I’m serious — a chicken scared the hell out of him.”

This time around, Coal Crusher will be kept at Eagle Farm, where he tackles Saturday’s Victory Stakes (1200m) — chicken-free.

He arrives in good form after finishing runner-up in the Hall Mark Stakes and has a strong fourth-up record, including his win in last year’s The Hunter.

Andrew Mallyon will guide the speedster from the inside draw, with Pride confirming he’ll adopt his usual front-running style.

“He didn’t get a smooth run last time, but he’s a genuine horse and this looks a nice race for him,” Pride said.

Victory Stakes favourite Rothfire will be out to join an elite group by claiming the race for a second time, something only Swiss Ace and Buffering have done in the last quarter century.