Eight years later, the duo were crowned the 2025 Queensland Off-The-Track (QOTT) Leaderboard Champions for Showjumping in the Standardbreds category at the recent Equestrian Queensland Annual Awards.
The former harness racer was previously under the tutelage of Vic Frost and Gail Geeson and recorded six wins from 58 starts at the track under the racing name Jackfrost.
He ran his last race at Redcliffe in 2016 before retiring.
Stafford came across Jackfrost a few years later while volunteering for Riding for the Disabled (RDA), preparing horses for lessons.
She explained how her immediate plans to retrain standard breeding in show jumping were halted.
“I started volunteering with the RDA, and they gave us a horse to care for and ride. At that point he was very, very green, couldn’t gallop and was just leading little kids around,” Stafford said.
“I kind of decided, ‘oh, I’m going to ride him, and I want to jump with him,’ and everyone said, ‘He’s a standardbred, he won’t jump.’
“When I was 11, I thought, he’s got four legs, and he’s a horse and he’s going to jump, what are you talking about?”
“I had no idea what I was doing, so I just happily went ahead and started jumping on him, and he had no idea what was going on at first.
“But he got really good, and he’s come such a long way since then.”
Since then, the now 19-year-old Practically Magic – known as ‘Jag’ in her Murwillumbah home – hasn’t looked back.
Stafford and Practically Magic have competed in South East Queensland and the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales.
The duo jumped and won the 1.20-1.30m class at the Tweed Valley Equestrian Group Power of Pink event in Murwillumbah in November last year
Their efforts resulted in honors on this year’s QOTT Leaderboard, which was created to highlight ex-racehorses who are excelling in their new equestrian careers.
The prizes are awarded to off-track horses that have accumulated the highest points in each discipline at the end of the racing season.
Stafford said the award was a great reward for the hard work that had gone into retraining Practically Magic.
“I was very grateful to win and quite surprised to be completely honest,” Stafford said.
“It’s been a long journey especially with that horse, and I was lucky to have a lot of supportive people around me over the last year, so I’m very grateful.
Ariella Stafford and Practically Magical. Photos: Jack Martin Photography
“The QOTT Leaderboard is something to work towards, and it’s great for the pacers, especially as they don’t really get much recognition.
“There are a lot of awards for the thoroughbreds now, but there aren’t many for the standardbreds, so it’s a great initiative from Queensland Off-The-Track and Racing Queensland.”
After a difficult period with weather influences in 2025, Stafford hopes to move Practically Magic to the 1.30m classes in 2026.
She has also retrained two other former harness racers in Mistar Zipstar and El Tovar, who are also looking to climb the ranks in show jumping events in 2026.
“Looking back now … you would never think Jag would have become the horse he is today,” Stafford said.
“I have since acquired two more pacers and turned them into show jumpers too – they are such a great breed, and they really jump!
“They are the most reliable, forgiving horses you will ever be on, and honestly the pace helps mainly because they are great with their legs, they have great brains and they will always help you.”
Such is Stafford’s enthusiasm for spreading the versatility of standard breeds that she changed her Instagram handle to @the.jumping.standy and is known as the ‘girl with the pacers’.
She is hopeful that other retrainers can recognize the jumping potential of the racehorses withdrawing from the harness track.
“It’s kind of funny. I’ve seen a lot of people over the years who got standard breeds and said, ‘You inspired me, I went and got one!'” Stafford said.
“I’ve had a few friends say that, so that was really cool, and I’ve asked a lot of people for advice.
“It has grown since I started volunteering at the RDA and now I really want to retrain more purebred dogs.”
Click here for more information about the QOTT leaderboards.
Ariella Stafford and Practically Magical. Photos: DKA Photography
Through Andreas Smithfor Racing Queensland
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