Wolfe’s purple patch continues on Fitzpatrick Plate day

After starting the Great Southern season slowly by his own lofty standards, trainer Steve Wolfe is hitting top form after saddling four winners on Sunday’s Albany Racing Club card.

Wolfe won three of the first five races on Fitzpatrick Plate day and finished with four in total, while also recording three stable quinellas to land his third big return of the local season.

With only two winners in the first three meetings, Wolfe has been in vintage form over the past month as he notched three victories in Albany on December 13, then landed his best-ever Boxing Day with five wins and now has a season tally of 14 after Sunday’s productive day at the office.

Talented three-year-old Eurasia overcame a wide draw to record a commanding two-length win over Wolfe’s other runner Sowar in the Manley Auto’s Maiden.

Eurasia broke through at start No.6 and may race again in Albany in a fortnight. Jockey Peter Knuckey then made it successive wins, as he booted home What About Moses for Wolfe in race three.

Resuming from a spell, What About Moses reeled in stablemate Round The Point in the final 150m to win by 0.5 lengths.

The Wolfe-Brodie Kirby connection then struck when top weight War Class won his second race this campaign, proving too tough for the field in the TABtouch Better Your Bet Handicap (1600m).

Stable hoop Natasha Faithfull rounded out the Wolfe foursome when she guided veteran Mr Pago to his seventh career win, prevailing over 1900m in race 7 to narrowly defeat Mass Effect in a photo finish.

Meanwhile maiden winner Ayasha is in line for a crack at the $35,000 Golden Bracelet after the four-year-old mare won the opening race for Albany trainer Stephen Sheehy.

Sheehy removed the blinkers which did the trick, as she sprinted home strongly to win over 1500m at her sixth start.

“It’s been two and a half years to get her here,” he said.

“She is out of a good family and the blinkers off was the big change, she was just seeing them too late.”

Albany galloper Ibiza led all the way over 1000m, one leg of a winning double for apprentice jockey Kristy Bennett.

Bennett also was successful on Scoreline who spent the majority of last season racing on dirt tracks.

An inquiry was opened and then adjourned into an incident where Magic Opus was restrained and lost ground at the 700m. Magic Opus returned with a deep puncture wound to his off-fore and Whiting along with Sax On Que’s rider Jordan Turner will both be called to give further evidence.