Second placing in Group 3 Northam Stakes for star Albany galloper Red Can Man on big weekend for Wolfe stable

Star Albany galloper Red Can Man made a superb return to racing, finishing second to boom WA sprinter Elite Street in the $150,000 Northam Mazda Stakes (1100m) on Sunday.

Trained by veteran Steve Wolfe, Red Can Man was having his first run back since a spell after a brief campaign late last year in WA where he contested three Group races including the $1million Winterbottom Stakes.

The five-year-old gelding won a recent Lark Hill barrier trial and jumped a $7 chance in the Group 3 feature race that attracted a field of 11 starters.

Ridden by stable jockey Shaun McGruddy, Red Can Man settled third behind a hot speed set by early leader Mervyn.

Red Can Man was angled off the heels of the leaders at the top of the home straight and McGruddy had grabbed the lead at the 200m mark. However, they were gunned down in the shadows of the post by Elite Street.

Jockey Chris Parnham got the best out of Elite Street in the final 100m as they burst down the outside to defeat Red Can Man by a half-head.

Wolfe has the Group 3 Roma Cup (1200m) and the Group 3 Belmont Sprint (1400m) at Belmont Park as targets for Red Can Man this preparation.

The son of Gingerbread Man has been a wonderful horse for Wolfe and connections, winning nearly $1 million in prize money and bonuses from his 28 career starts.

Red Can Man was sent east last year where he won Group 3 Sir John Monash Stakes at Caulfield and contested the Group 1 Memsie Stakes.

He has won eight races and been placed on nine other occasions in a highly successful career.

Red Can Man will race second-up in the $200,000 Roma Cup on May 14 and has a terrific second-up record of three wins from six attempts.

It was a strong weekend for the Wolfe stable with talented mare Watch Me Dance running third in the listed Sheila Gwynne Classic (1400m) at Ascot on Saturday.

Watch Me Dance ($11) settled second for McGruddy in running and hit the lead 300m from the finish.

Amasenus rocketed home to win the $125,000 feature race by more than a length over Jadavi, while Watch Me Dance battled on bravely under the 60kg impost to run third beaten less than two lengths.

Ginger Green won for Wolfe at Saturday’s Ascot meeting, coming from fourth on the home turn to win the TABtouch – Westspeed Platinum Handicap (1600m).

McGruddy had the four-year-old ideally placed in transit and they toughed it out to beat Read The Riot Act by a head on the line.

It was a third career win for Ginger Green in 13 starts and came on the back of a win and two second placings at his previous three starts in Albany.

The Roy Rogers-trained Snippagem ran third in the final race at Ascot on Saturday, fighting on strongly after sitting on the speed in a graduation handicap.