Brilliant maiden winner Catch These Hands tackles cracker field in Group 2 $500,000 WA Guineas at Ascot

Promising youngster Catch These Hands will relish the jump in distance, according to Albany trainer Steve Wolfe as he prepares to tackle a stellar field in the $500,000 Sky Racing WA Guineas (1600m) at Ascot on Saturday. The race is part of the Pinnacles summer carnival and Wolfe is chasing his second victory in the WA Guineas after Watch Me Dance saluted in 2020. Star three-year-olds Amelia’s Jewel, Bustler and All The King’s Men dominate early betting in the race but Wolfe is confident his outside chance can handle the rise in class. Catch These Hands was a brilliant winner over 1400m at Ascot on November 9. He came from eighth on the home turn to swoop down the outside and win by half a length, running the final 600m in 35.29sec. Wolfe believes his young star deserves his place in the race. “I have no doubt he can be competitive,” Wolfe said. “He’s a real horse. He will be better in the autumn and more of a WA Derby type horse, but there are not many of these kind of races around. “I don’t think he’s Watch Me Dance, but he is a better horse than Bragwell who ran fifth in the race. He is way above average.” The son of Rommel has drawn barrier 12 and will carry 56.5kg with jockey Shaun McGruddy in the saddle. He was unplaced at his first two starts, including finishing last to All The King’s Men, but then produced an encouraging second at Northam over 1400m before cracking his maiden status at start number four. Catch These Hands was a $71 chance with TABtouch on Wednesday and is among a talented field of 16 for the Group 2 feature. Amelia’s Jewel, who has won four of her five starts, is the $2.75 favourite from the Simon Miller yard. The filly won the listed Belgravia Stakes and then ran second to Laced Up Heels in the listed Burgess Queen Stakes. Fairetha Stakes winner Bustler ($4) and All The King’s Men ($6) who ran second in the same race are the other runners in single figures in betting. Champion jockey William Pike will partner Linden Lady and top hoop Chris Parnham is engaged on the Neville Parnham-trained Snowdome.