Albany sprinter downs quality rivals to win Plate

My Greek Boy is set to tackle several quality winter sprint features at Belmont Park after his sizzling victory in Sunday’s $75,000 XXXX Gold Fitzpatrick Plate (1230m) at Percy Spencer Racecourse.

The feature race win capped off a stellar Albany Cup day for local trainer Steve Wolfe, who had four victories highlighted by the performance of his stable star My Greek Boy.

Jumping a $5.10 chance on the tote, jockey Shaun McGruddy fired the rising star through from barrier nine to surprisingly find the front in quality field, and from there he was able to dictate terms.

McGruddy led the field up on the explosive four-year-old, who had already won four races in Albany this season, and they kicked clear to prove too strong in the home straight.

My Greek Boy found plenty late as he claimed the biggest win of his career, downing last year’s winner and $4.70 favourite Run Liam Run by three-quarters of a length while Spin Da Wheels ($11.80) got home strongly to run third one-and-a-half lengths further away.

Wolfe said he was supremely confident heading into the sprint feature, with the Myboycharlie gelding undefeated at the track and distance from four starts. “I knew I couldn’t have the horse any better, he was that well,” he said.

“It would have taken a super horse to beat him today.

“When he went forward I was worried but he settled well and has got a big motor.

“He will head to those Belmont sprint races now but he is just going super and there is so much more upside to his horse.

“I rate him very highly with some of my best horses.”

Wolfe said McGruddy, who ended the day with a winning treble, believed My Greek Boy could get over further ground and the Group 3 Belmont Sprint (1400m) and Hyperion Stakes (1600m) were on his radar.