Chris Waller is willing to experiment with Danleigh in pursuit of an explosive first-up performance from the ageing galloper on Saturday.
Danleigh has deliberately been kept “bigger” than normal for his return in the Group Two Shorts (1200m) at Rosehill, as the multiple Group One winner enters his seventh season of racing.
“We’ve purposely kept him a bit bigger just to try to put some extra explosiveness into him,” Waller said.
“He’ll have a huge blow after the race.
“It’s an experiment. To me he looks way too fat but he’s had his two trials, he’s working sharply and I’m looking for him to run out of his skin.”
A winner of nine of his 44 starts and more than $2 million prize money, Danleigh hasn’t won at 1200 metres since the Group One Manikato Stakes first-up two years ago.
Since then, the gelding’s major successes have been in feature Group races in the 1400 to 1600 metre range.
Danleigh will be joined by new stablemate Albert The Fat, who boasts a Group One BTC Cup victory over 1200m among his 10 career wins.
Albert The Fat joined Waller’s team from Paul Messara and has trialled twice leading into The Shorts.
“I’m really looking forward to these two horses running,” Waller said.
“Albert The Fat came to us in tremendous order for an older horse.
“He’s got clean legs and he’s a happy horse just in tremendous condition.”
A spring program for Albert The Fat is undecided but his performance in The Shorts will go a long way to determining whether he’ll head to sprint races or races over 1600m.
“Because he has come in a bit later we can target him towards some Melbourne races and he won’t be a spent force before he gets there,” Waller said.
Meanwhile, Waller is hoping the George Main Stakes being at Rosehill this year over 1500m can result in a return to form by Triple Elegance.
Waller has yet to train a George Main winner but has a great record in the weight-for-age George Ryder Stakes which is over 1500m at Rosehill in the autumn.
Danleigh and Rangirangdoo have won the George Ryder in the past two years with Triple Elegance a close third in the race in April.
“I’m relying on him bringing his George Ryder form,” Waller said.
“It’s almost a sister race … it’s almost identical.”
Waller said he was hoping Triple Elegance would regain confidence on a good rated track on Saturday.
AAP TURF
