DOOM MAY 15 - ALBERT THE FAT WINS A THRILLER

By Graham Potter and Matthew Grimson | Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Doomben, May 15, 2010.
BTC Cup (Group 1 - WFA), 1200m. Time: 1-09.24 (Carrying 58.5kg).
Track - Good 3. Rail - True.
1 Albert The Fat; 2 Melito; 3 Latin News.

The Albert The Fat team personifies a lot that is good about racing.

There is the small trainer, Eden Petrie, who had to cut off his interview with the press in his greatest moment of glory because he is also the strapper of his Group 1 winner and he had to attend to those duties.

There is the rider, Damian Browne, who has quietly fought his way back from a succession of serious injuries which kept him out of the saddle for so long that he was almost forgotten and his dream of a return to the big-time was in danger of remaining just that, a dream ... before hard work and dedication advanced his cause ... and finally there is the team of owners who have celebrated every victory of Albert The Fat, no matter what the value of the stakes return or the level of the race division, with a zest for enjoyment that best advertises the thrill of success, which is racing’s major selling point.

On Saturday Albert The Fat started at odds of $21. The chestnut was neglected by most punters but there was a nibble from somewhere as he did come in from $26.00. Those who took the odds were well rewarded, but they were also in danger of suffering a heart attack over the concluding stages as the leaders chased to the line where Albert The Fat prevailed by a nose to beat Melito in a pressurised finish in which there was no place for the faint-hearted.

The long odds had much to do with the worry about the predicted pattern of the race and the strong quality of the opposition.

Albert The Fat gets back in his races and usually pulls out wide into free running to launch his challenge. There was never any doubt about the way he can finish off his race, but the combination of a possible slow pace, finding clear running and then making up ground on some talented rivals who had got first run on him, did seem to load the odds against Albert The Fat, but that general pre-race description clearly underestimated the gelding.

Jumping from a number three draw, Albert The Fat settled in eighth place in the twelve horse field, no more than six lengths off Shellscrape who pushed forward to lead Mic Mac in the early stages.

Shellscrape took the field along until the approach to the turn. Monton had moved off the rail to sit in second spot with Mic Mac still in close attendance, getting the run of the race in third position on the inside. Browne meanwhile has Albert The Fat hard on the rail, saving ground, and the five-year-old cornered in sixth place, now just a touch less than four lengths off the lead.

Albert The Fat’s inside line had seen him ease past Melito in the swing to the turn. That move seemed relatively unimportant at the time, but it would take on great significance when the final battle lines were drawn in the straight.

Shellscrape started to shift out under pressure early in the straight and Monton started to mark time when he needed t be going forward. That left Mic Mac momentarily in charge of proceedings as he bounded into the lead, driving up hard along the inside running rail.

Browne never hesitated. The quickest way home was a straight line to the finish and Browne immediately set Albert The Fat alight following the inside line that had served him so well thus far. Jockey Blake Shinn, who now had Melito sitting right on Albert The Fat’s tail, also needed no second invitation. He quickly set his mount after Alert the Fat as the two runners angled in marginally to take the widening gap between Mic Mac and Shellscrape.

Out wider on the track Latin News was also getting into full stride, not as quickly as Albert The Fat and Melito, but he was going through his gears well enough to loom as a threat.

At the 200m mark Mic Mac still held a two length advantage. Shellscrape still held second spot ahead of Monton, but the latter two horses were now coming under immense pressure from all sides as Albert The Fat and Melito flew up on their inside while Latin News made progress out wider on the track.

At the 180m Monton shifted out and inconvenienced Latin News at a vital time. Latin News recovered quickly, but some damage had been done. Albert The Fat and Melito, seemingly glued together, encountered no such difficulty. They were flying now and with 100m left to run Albert The Fat was less than half-a-length behind the hard-fighting Mic Mac.

With 50m left to run Albert The Fat reeled in Mic Mac, but Melito was not going away and Latin News was now closing on the duo with meaning.

The significance of the advantage that Albert The Fat had so quietly gained on Melito on the turn and held all the way down the straight now kicked in at the business end of affairs. Melito tried for all she was worth and, in an enthralling head-bobbing struggle to the line, the Gerald Ryan trained runner got within a nose of Albert The Fat at the line, but the latter’s tenacious fighting spirit carried the day in what was an exhilarating finale to a super contest.

Latin News, who was closing at the line, scored an eye-catching third placing. The Bart Cummings trained runner finished only a long-neck behind Melito. Mic Mac stayed to earn a highly creditable fourth placing, just 0,70 lengths behind the winner.

The $2.90 favourite Ortensia finished fifth without ever looking likely to trouble the scorer.

The highly-rated mare raced in the second half of the field early on before turning for home with only two runners behind here. She did have an uncomfortable passage in the first half of the straight which limited her progress. She shifted out and made enough contact with Ghetto Blaster for jockey Hugh Bowman to give a concerned backward glance at Ghetto Blaster to see what the fallout was from the incident. Bowman then had to straighten Ortensia up again at which time he found himself right on the heels of Sister Madly.

Bowman had to balance his mount up, angle out past Sister Madly and change gears all in an instant. In the circumstances Ortensia responded reasonably and she did run on well enough to claim fifth place, 1.50 lengths behind Albert The Fat.

Was it a good enough run to help set Ortensia up for future success at this carnival? Maybe.

In essence though, the run was disappointing for a mare who carries so much hype every time she faces the starter.

WINNER FEEDBACK
Trainer Eden Petrie: “Unbelievable, I just can’t describe it mate. I just can’t describe it.

“Look mate, he just had a little niggling injury after the Magic Millions run in January (where he resumed following a four month layoff) and there was no use pressing on. We thought we would just pull up shop and set him for the winter.

“This has been pretty much the plan since two days after the Magic Millions. Look, he just wrenched his join mate and thankfully the X-rays were all clear. We had the winter in mind and I’ve only had one Albert so we had to pull up shop.

“Yes I did think he had a genuine chance. Look, I know you’ve got to keep your feet planted and be realistic, you know, but I knew the horse was spot on and whatever he did after today I felt there was still improvement in him. Sorry guys ... I just a bit lost for words.

“Today was pretty much D-day. If he didn’t race up to our expectations we would have taken a backward step to some of the lesser races. But on that, we have got to have a crack at the 10,000. At the end of the day it is Albert’s call.

“I was really debating whether to put the blinkers back on him, just to sharpen him up that little bit, but the run we had in transit today ... over at the 800, I was thinking I am glad I didn’t put them on.

“We have tried gallantly to get this horse to race genuinely without over-racing and look, the penny sort of finally dropped.

“There’s over ten owners mate and they have been with me since day dot ... since we’ve had this horse and I can’t thank them enough. I’ve been in the industry for sixteen years mate. I took my licence out in my own right in October 2008 and I have ten horses in work.

“I didn’t really know when we had it. He is a horse that has raced predominantly outside of horses and I was thinking geez when he was inside them, but once he got daylight I know how this horse can let down and sprint.

“I sorry guys, but I’m by myself. I’ve got to go and grab him.”

With that trainer, strapper, Group 1 winner Eden Petrie went off the tend to his big race winner.

Jockey Damian Browne: “That is my third Group 1 win. My last Group 1 was probably in New Zealand about seven or eight years ago, so it has been a long time between drinks.

‘Since moving to Queensland I have had a lot of bad luck so it is good to get one under my belt.

“I rode the horse early on there ... about seven or eight months ago. Brad Pengelly was riding the horse a fair bit. Thankfully for me Brad was away overseas this time when he had the first-up run and I was able to get back on him and stay on him for today.

The horse has always showed a ton of ability. The odd occasion he probably hasn’t put it together. He’s had his share of injuries too, so to get it all right today it has been a great effort by him.

“I did want him to settle. He is a horse that can get up to travelling pretty keen, but there was fair of speed in the race and he travelled lovely and got a good run through. He can let down. He has probably been guilty of not being able to do that his last few runs, but, as I say, Eden (Petrie) has done a great job to get him ready for today and the horse is spot on.

“He travelled lovely throughout and he just got a lovely suck in behind in the straight and then the runs just came.”

“After all I have been few over the last four years, to get back to these Group 1 races and to get back to the top is what it is all about.”

PRICE FLUCTUATIONS:
Winner (Albert The Fat): 21.00 out to 26.00 in to 21.00.
Favourite (Ortensia): 3.00 in to 2.60 out to 2.90. Finished fifth.

STEWARDS REPORT EXTRACT:
Set For Fame (L. Nolen) over-raced in the early and middle stages.

Shortly after entering the home straight, Ortensia (H. Bowman) shifted out slightly, resulting in resulting Ghetto Blaster (L. Cassidy) being hampered.

King Mufhasa (S. Spratt) and Sister Madly (J. Byrne) raced three wide throughout.

T. Angland was asked to explain the tactics he adopted on Monton near the 800m where after racing in a position on the rails, he shifted out to a three-wide position outside of Shellscrape (S. Katsidis).

T. Angland explained that he was of the view that Shellscrape would proceed forward at that point and cross Mic Mac (S. Scriven) to assume the lead, which would have placed him in a one-wide position outside of Shellscrape. T. Angland conceded that in hindsight it may have been a better option to remain on the rails behind Mic Mac.

Stewards were of the view that it would have been a better option for Monton to remain in a position behind Mic Mac near the 800m, however accepted T. Angland's explanation as to the reason for him leaving the position and shifting wider on the track.

Stewards sought an explanation from H. Bowman regarding the performance of Ortensia today.

H. Bowman explained that the mare travelled kindly and he asked the mare to improve rounding the home turn to the outside of Sister Madly, but he was unable to fully test Ortensia as the mare shifted out, hampering Ghetto Blaster, which resulted in him having to stop riding and straighten.

H. Bowman added that when Ortensia became balanced after passing the 300m, the mare sprinted well although, in his opinion, peaked on her run inside the final 100m.

A post-race veterinary examination of Sister Madly revealed the filly to be showing soreness over the back. Trainer A Cummings will be advised that he must provide a veterinary certificate of fitness for the filly prior to her racing again.

A post-race veterinary examination of Monton failed to reveal any significant abnormalities.