Four winners for Albany trainer Steve Wolfe to take lead in Great Southern Trainers’ Premiership title race

Albany trainer Steve Wolfe shot to the top of the Great Southern Trainers’ Premiership standings after saddling up four winners at last week’s Albany meeting. The seven-race card at Percy Spencer Racecourse on Friday was dominated by Wolfe who won the last two events and had progressive four-year-olds Best Of The Gods and I Dreamed A Dream both salute. The four wins took him to nine in the Great Southern trainer of the year title, two ahead of Rebecca Bayliss while Indianna Weinert sits third with six. After having two favourites in the first two races disappoint, Wolfe bounced back in the Jerramungup Handicap (1500m) as Best Of The Gods was far too strong. The son of Playing God was well supported into the $2.60 favourite and let down well in the home straight for jockey Holly Watson to win by more than a length after sitting fourth in running. Best Of The Gods has now won three of his 15 career starts, after a class one victory earlier in his campaign. The Wolfe stable claimed race-to-race victories after combining with Watson to win race five over 1920m with I Dreamed A Dream. I Dreamed A Dream won a graduation handicap at Ascot and then ran second to Rommeo at the same track before returning to Albany. Watson settled the four-year-old last and swept around the field as they turned for home, claiming Brave Contender and Deadly And Fast in the final 100m to win by a long head. The Oratorio gelding has an impressive record of five wins and five minor placings from 25 career starts. The Gnowangerup Handicap (1230m) was a quinella for Wolfe as Warralea Lass scored a convincing win over stablemate Song Story. Warralea Lass ($3.90) was fourth on the turn and had plenty to give late for hoop Chris Nicoll, to score a two and a half-length victory. Watson made it a treble and handed Wolfe his fourth winner of the day when four-year-old Saulok led from start to finish in the Albany Handicap (1500m). Saulok, who carried 54.5kg and jumped an $11 chance, was ridden positively by Watson to beat top weight Vonsnip ($4.60) by nearly three lengths. Bayliss continued her strong local season when new stable acquisition Bling Beach broke through at her ninth career start in race two. With Kyra Yuill aboard, Bling Beach ($5.50) led throughout in the 1500m maiden but had to hold off a fast-finishing Quick Cookie to score by a half-head in the end. Trainer Ryan Hill and jockey Victoria Corver won the Kent Maiden (1230m) with smart debutant Later Alligator ($8). Agent Jay made it three wins in a row when he claimed the Cranbrook Handicap (1100m) with Mollie Clark in the saddle. The Stephen Sheehy-trained gelding has turned the corner this preparation and charged home from near last on the corner to edge out What A Prince by a short neck on the line. Corver received a 22-day careless riding suspension for allowing Quick Cookie to shift inwards when insufficiently clear of Great Deal near the 150m mark, resulting in Great Deal blundering from heels and severely unbalancing its rider. Rider John Kissick also copped a nine-day careless riding suspension in race one and Tash Faithfull (race one) and Austin Galati (race seven) received careless riding reprimands.