Sydney, April 6 – Magic Albert four year-old Al Be Nimble returned from a spell of 14 weeks to score an impressive win in the 1100 metre welter at Canterbury on Saturday.
The dashing chestnut was ridden quietly in the early stages by Danny Nikolic from an awkward gate and when asked for an effort zoomed up to the leaders and went straight on by to score by half a length in taking his record to five wins from 10 starts with prizemoney of $193,800.
Not seen since thrashing a smart field to win the Listed AJC Carrington Stakes in early January, the Gwenda Markwell trained Al Be Nimble looks set for a good carnival.
Retained to race by his breeders, Al Be Nimble is from a Danehill mare in the imported Nimble (IRE), who was purchased last year by Yarraman Park in partnership with Dennis Wilton and is now back in foal to Magic Albert.
Nimble (IRE) was a minor winner in Italy at 1600 metres and was also fourth in a Listed event for fillies in England at Newbury. She comes from a prolific Black Type European family and Al Be Nimble is her only foal to race.
Lightly raced three year-old Albert the Fat made it a two state metropolitan double for Magic Albert when he saluted at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
Trained by Dale Sutton, Albert the Fat won the open three year-old event over 1400 metres by more than two lengths and has the tidy record of three wins and two placings from just six starts.
A $40,000 purchase for Wadham Park from the draft of Rheinwood Pastoral at the 2006 Magic Millions Yearling Sale, Albert the Fat is from the inning Bureaucracy mare Alemar, a sister to stakes-placed Mastery.
Magic Albert has been an overwhelming success for Yarraman Park since retiring to stud in 2002, his ever increasing list of winners prompting a rise in service fee in 2007 to $16,500.
Fans of Magic Albert will be pleased to note he has two youngsters catalogued for Inglis Easter Part Two and 14 for the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
