Jaffa, a 15-year-old pony, could prove the secret weapon to help give rookie trainer Eden Petrie a winner with his first Sydney runner when Queenslander Albert The Fat runs at Randwick on Saturday.Albert The Fat arrived safely by road in Sydney last Friday and to Petrie's surprise has settled in perfectly ahead of his assignment in the Listed Show County Quality (1200m).Petrie, 39, has only been licensed since October and has 13 horses in work in the country environment at Wadham Park in the Gol

Jaffa, a 15-year-old pony, could prove the secret weapon to help give rookie trainer Eden Petrie a winner with his first Sydney runner when Queenslander Albert The Fat runs at Randwick on Saturday.

Albert The Fat arrived safely by road in Sydney last Friday and to Petrie's surprise has settled in perfectly ahead of his assignment in the Listed Show County Quality (1200m).

Petrie, 39, has only been licensed since October and has 13 horses in work in the country environment at Wadham Park in the Gold Coast hinterland.

He initially had serious concerns whether Albert The Fat, a winner at his past two Brisbane starts, would settle into his new surroundings at Paul Messara's bustling Randwick stables.

"It's a big change from the quiet environment at Wadham Park to the hustle and bustle at Randwick," Petrie said.

"I had an option to stable him with Paul (Messara) at his stables at Scone but I was concerned he would have to travel four hours by float to Sydney the day before the race.

"The country environment at Scone would have suited him but I decided to stable him at Randwick and sent Jaffa the stable pony down with him to keep him company.

"I'm surprised how well Albert The Fat has settled in. He's doing better than Jaffa."

Petrie has booked Brad Pengelly to ride Albert The Fat whose performance in the Show County will determine if the five-year-old remains in Sydney.

"He needs to step up to the mark in the Show County to warrant another Sydney run," Petrie said.

"But if he runs well enough he'll have his next start in either the Tramway or the Theo Marks and then if he's still going well I might send him to Melbourne for the Emirates Stakes."

The Group One Emirates Stakes (1600m) will be run at Flemington in November.

While Petrie may be a newcomer to the training ranks he spent many years learning his trade working as foreman for trainer John Wallace in Queensland and Ron Quinton in Sydney.

"I started off with John Wallace when I was 14 and spent six years working with Ron Quinton in Sydney," Petrie said.

"I came back to Queensland in 2000 and worked for a few more years with John (Wallace) before I left in 2005 when a position became available as foreman for Dale Sutton at Wadham Park.

"When Dale left I then decided to train myself and I now rent stables at Wadham Park."

During his time with Wallace he often bore the responsibility of taking horses interstate.

"Albert The Fat is my first Sydney runner but I've taken horses away before. Dancing Poet and Swiftsynd are two that come to mind quickly," he said.

Albert The Fat, the winner of nine of his 15 starts, has been kept ticking over in his work in Sydney but has yet to do any fast work.

"He's worked every day down here since Saturday but he hasn't done any fast work yet," Petrie said.

"I'm sitting on the fence right now whether I'll give him any fast work before Saturday but if he does it won't be much."