3 minute read
Astute trainer Mark Walker has had a lot of success with imports over the years and four-year-old Altair was another on Sunday.
Formerly based in Australia under the care of Chris Waller, the son of Zoustar won one from 11, including five minor placings.
A model of consistency, Altair rarely missed the money and left Australian shores rated 90 by Timeform.
Lining up in the Class 4 event, he appeared very well placed and had trialled very well in the lead up.
Last seen at Rosehill back in February (193 days), Altair had the two trials in the lead up, his latest scoring by half a length in solid time (1:01.28).
Ridden by Razali Zawari, he always travelled sweetly and found the line well when taking a inside run in the straight.
While unlikely to be at his peak for his return, he was still able to overcome a wide run throughout and certainly showed his class.
Ridden by Benny Woodworth, Altair began well on the outside and held his position on-speed despite caught wide throughout.
In a line of three facing the breeze approaching the 600m, Altair continued his wide run into the straight, before taking over inside the 300m.
While taking a while to beat off his rivals, he asserted his authority late, drawing clear to score by 2.8L.
Returning a Timeform rating of 69, he remains open to sharp improvement and suspect he was entitled to win by further given his wide run throughout.
While a tough run, it was a great ride from Woodworth as he didn't panic and simply kept Altair balanced, before letting him rip in the straight.
He knew what he had underneath him and suspect he can springboard off that performance at his next outing.
Rising seven points off the back of that win, the handicapper certainly hasn't missed him, however 67 is still a very winnable mark for the son of Zoustar.
When formerly trained by Waller, Altair ran his peak ratings beyond 1200m and notably broke his maiden at 1550m.
The way he finished off his race on Sunday suggests he will be even better over further and is a must for your blackbook.
