Swagger primed for Albury run in Barlens City Handicap
Mitch Beer is hoping that Swagger can return to winning form in Thursday’s $75,000 Barlens City Handicap (1175m) at Albury.
Thursday will be the first day of a two-day carnival at the southern NSW track, with the Listed Albury Gold Cup (2000m) the feature event on Friday afternoon.
Swagger, a six-year-old gelding, has had 19 career starts for just four career wins, although one of those victories was a Class 3 Highway Handicap at Royal Randwick last May over 1400m.
The son of Postponed had a few minor issues after his first two starts this preparation, but he returned to form in the SDRA Country Championships Qualifier on February 19 at Wagga, chasing home Another One into fifth.
While Swagger didn’t qualify for the $500,000 Country Championships Final, Beer was pleased with how well he hit the line from a near-impossible position.
“He ran a ripper first-up in the Moruya Town Plate, which is a pretty strong race,” Beer told HorseBetting.com.au.
“He then went to Canberra and went bad and pulled up bad and medicated his hock and then went to the Country Championships.
“He drew (barrier) 17, he was last on a day where you couldn’t make ground and he flew home and ran fifth in one of the more eye-catching runs of the race.
“I think he’s one of my better chances at odds – they’ll run along, he’ll get a long way back – but he’s certainly good enough to be finishing in the money tomorrow at 15-to-1.”
Swagger just holds on from the fast finishing More Sunday's in the TAB Highway for @MitchBeerRacing 👌 pic.twitter.com/MsStZi3Gd0
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 29, 2021
On the Friday, Beer will saddle up Tullaghan – a horse he owns 100% of – in the Albury Cup, although he fears he is just making up numbers in the $200,000 event.
The four-year-old gelding is coming off back-to-back placings at Leeton and Queanbeyan in Benchmark 58 company, so the rise to Listed level will be a stretch for the son of Al Maher.
Beer has also accepted with the gelding in a Benchmark 66 earlier in the day, with a final decision yet to be made as to which race he will contest.
“He should be definitely going to the 66, but I own him, so I’ve certainly got no disappointed owners to report back to if he runs down the track in the Cup,” Beer said.
“I’ve accepted with him in both. At this stage I think they’ve only got 11 in the Cup, so I think we’ll probably just roll the dice and run him in the Cup.
“He will look the winner at about the 600m – I don’t know about after that, but anyway! It will give us something to roar about.”
The local trainer has a strong hand over the course of the two days, with 13 individual horses accepted across 10 separate races.
Beers horse in the Flat Knacker is a good thing!