BRC JUL18 - ALBERT THE FAT MAKES WINNING RETURN

By Matthew Grimson | Monday, July 20, 2009

Eagle Farm, July 18, 2009.
Open Handicap - 1200m. Time: 1-11.06.
Track - Good 3. Rail - out 7m.
1 Albert The Fat; 2 Sommersea Drive; 3 Heart Of The Citi.

Six months away from the track did little to dent the raw talent of the Eden Petrie trained Albert The Fat who made a winning return to action at Eagle Farm where he claimed his eighth win from fourteen starts.

Going into the race under-done, the chestnut’s task was further complicated by the fact that he was unable to get in from a wide draw, but there is no better rider in town at riding a horse quietly and keeping his mount comfortable than jockey Damian Browne - and that factor served Albert The Fat well in the early part. Sitting wide in midfield, Browne was at his best in keeping Albert The Fat relaxed and primed for the task waiting for him in the home straight.

The chase when it came was done with methodical precision. No rush ... no flourish, just a steady increase in tempo, with Browne measuring Albert The Fat’s finishing effort to a nicety, getting the four-year-old to put his ability to work to claim victory without ever placing the horse under any unnecessary pressure in his first-up outing.

In the end, it was a big win.

WINNER FEEDBACK:
Trainer Eden Petrie: “Look, going into today’s race, he is only about eighty-five percent fit. He only had the one barrier trail. He’s a big horse, mate. The normal routine first-up in his other preps is to give him the two trials. He’s got a stack of improvement in him.

“I thought today, he’s a class horse ... he’s got the class. Does he have the fitness? Fitness was the only query. I couldn’t be more happy with him. At this stage I am looking to run him in that Quality Handicap on August 1 at Doomben. If we get through that alright we’ll be going south. We’ll start in Sydney. We’ve got a couple races there ear-marked. On August 22 there’s that Show County Listed race at Warwick Farm on Warwick Stakes Day. He’s to take that step. It’s 1200m. It’s three weeks break. Then, who knows mate ... maybe the Theo Marks.

“He went out after the Magic Millions (in January) and we planned to give him three or four weeks, but unfortunately he suffered a minor injury in the paddock and I didn’t want to take any chances with him. He had ten or eleven weeks off.

“He’s back but he is always a worry. Look, this horse hasn’t got much respect for himself or anyone else. But he has just got a great will to win.”

Jockey Damian Browne: “It was a nice win, mate. The horse is obviously not near his peak yet. He had sort of an awkward alley. I got tracked out three wide but I had cover, you know, which helped him to relax a little bit. On the corner he felt tremendous and he really let down good. He sort of always had them covered, but probably felt the pinch at about the last 50 yards ... just a fitness thing.

“It was the first time I’ve been on him. He feels terrific when he is galloping. I think I’ve managed to warm the seat for Brad Pengelly, but it is nice to get one ride on him anyway.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Albert The Fat): 2.20 out to 2.60.
The winner was the favourite.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Eddie Rapido (J. Taylor) was slow to begin. Masai Pride (J. Byrne) and Craiglea Warrior (M. Speers) made contact on jumping away. Charming Rogue (G. Colless), Craiglea Warrior and Eddie Rapido (J. Taylor) over-raced in the middle stages. Albert The Fat (D. Browne) and Mr Aristos (S. Scriven) raced wide for the majority of the event. A post race veterinary examination of Mr Aristos failed to reveal any significant abnormalities.