Four winners at final meeting not enough for Steve Wolfe to overrun Roy Rogers in trainers’ title race

Tim Stone scored his first winner as a thoroughbred trainer at the Great Southern’s season-ending meeting in Albany on Sunday. The meeting was dominated by Steve Wolfe, the veteran saddling up four of the seven winners as he made a late charge for the trainers’ premiership. However, the victory of Gifted Warrior was a highlight at Percy Spencer Racecourse, handing Stone his first success in the code. After starting out as a trotting trainer and driver, Stone had his first runner as a thoroughbred trainer in 2010 and has stables based in Albany. Gifted Warrior ($12) settled in the back half of the field for apprentice jockey Austin Galati in the Hygain Strike Rate Trainer Of The Year Handicap (1100m), but stormed home in the final stages to win by a short neck. Galati got the best out of the eight-year-old in the concluding stages, to get over the top of $3.80 favourite God’s Moment. Gifted Warrior has only had four starts for Stone and ran a strong second in Albany over 1240m leading up to his fifth career win on Sunday. Consistent gelding Bentley Beau won a third race in the Great Southern, to cap a brilliant season for Peter Western. The six-year-old has been a model of consistency since transferring to the Western stables and held off a strong challenge from Wolfe duo Double Thumbs Up and Divine Mercy to win by a nose in race four. Kyra Yuill had Bentley Beau ($2.25) in the leading division for the 1900m journey and the result was a third win in the Great Southern this season to go with six seconds from 11 starts. Galati finished with a double after he booted home $31 chance Elite Jewel in race three over 1230m for trainer Sarah Searle. Wolfe was six wins behind Roy Rogers in the Great Southern Trainers’ Premiership heading into the final meeting. Super Salsa and Warralea Diamond both saluted early in the program before Sir Snugalot and Looks claimed the final two races of the season to hand Wolfe four winners. Jockey Alan Kennedy led all of the way on Super Salsa who broke his maiden status in race one as Wolfe had the trifecta with Pride Of Tuscany and Hans Christian running second and third. Warralea Diamond made it back-to-back wins for Wolfe and Jarrad Noske in race two before apprentice Rosie Mahony scored a dominant two-length win on Sir Snugalot in race six. Wolfe’s big day was rounded out by talented three-year-old Looks, who demolished his rivals by nearly three lengths in the ARC Wish To Thank All Club Staff Season 2022-23 Handicap (1230m) with Kennedy in the saddle. Rogers (36 wins) claimed his second trainers’ title after holding off Wolfe (34), while Natasha Faithfull and Brayden Gaerth were the winners of the leading senior rider and leading apprentice awards.