My Bella Mae, Laced Up Heels, Acromantula set for The Bluff Knoll as six runners confirmed in Albany slot race

Six slots in Albany’s lucrative slot race The Bluff Knoll have been confirmed ahead of the exciting first edition in March. WA’s richest country race will be run at Percy Spencer Racecourse on March 10 with 13 slots already sold and $150,000 up for grabs for the winner. Six slot owners last week confirmed their runners for the prestigious race with the remaining slots set to announce their horses in the coming weeks. Brilliant four-year-old My Bella Mae has been locked in by Nino Tufilli from Two Fillies Stud. The Dion Luciani-trained mare has won five of her 15 career starts, including listed features the Placid Ark Stakes and Cyril Flower Stakes, and contested the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes in December. Talented sprinter Acromantula will be the Gold Front Thoroughbreds entry, the Dan and Ben Pearce-trained gelding spelling after a Victorian campaign last year. Acromantula has won more than $550,000 in prize money and claimed the listed Carlyon Stakes at Moonee Valley in August. Roy Rogers Racing has locked away the first local runner with Strathmore Rose set to start in the $350,000 feature race. The Yarradale Stud-owned mare won the 2023 Fitzpatrick Plate in Albany over 1230m and was fourth in this year’s edition of the race behind Supersession. Speed machine Laced Up Heels will be the runner for Delta Agribusiness, securing the Luke Fernie-trained star for the 1099m race. Laced Up Heels won the 2022 Burgess Queen Stakes before heading interstate and finished 11th in the Group 1 Australian Guineas. The four-year-old mare has been spelled since having three runs in winter last year for Mick Prince and Michael Kent Jr. Former Albany resident Mitchell Pateman will be involved in the first edition of the race with local businessman Brian Fuller and Rainbow Coast Insurance Brokers securing Songaa. Songaa, who has several Albany owners, is a winner at three of his 12 career starts and resumed from a break with a fifth placing in the listed Summer Scorcher on January 1. The sixth runner confirmed for The Bluff Knoll is veteran sprinter Resortman for local business Inswing Sports Bar. Another with local ownership, Resortman comes from the Boyanup stables of Michael Lane and contested last year’s The Quokka and more recently was eighth in the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes. It is expected RAM Racing Syndicate and Morton Racing will announce their runners this week. Steve Wolfe Racing, Gangemi Racing, Peters Investments and businessmen Barry Panizza and Renny Gardiner are yet to confirm their runners.