Rope Them In and Brave Spirit part of dual representation for Albany in Ascot’s $5 million Quokka slot race

Veteran trainer Steve Wolfe believes having a two-pronged attack in WA’s biggest race is a proud moment for Albany and Wolfe is confident he has two live chances in the $5 million feature. Rope Them In and Brave Spirit will represent Wolfe in the $5 million slot race The Kia Quokka (1200m) at Ascot on Saturday. Running in the TABtouch slot will be Rope Them In, who was a brilliant winner of Albany’s $400,000 Bluff Knoll slot race in March. Brave Spirit will run in the Seacorp-Hallowell slot having shot onto the scene after a superb win in last year’s listed Raconteur Stakes for three-year-olds. Wolfe had a runner in the inaugural Quokka with stable star Red Can Man finishing sixth to Overpass in 2023 and the same horse was an emergency but didn’t gain a start last year. A champion trainer in the Great Southern, Wolfe said he was proud as punch to be flying the Albany flag strongly in the State’s richest race. “I think lot of people lose sight of this fact but to have two horses from Albany in the biggest race in the State it’s a pretty big achievement and you don’t you don’t get their lightly,” he said. “It’s like having an AFL footballer you know, you can’t be in any higher level than that. “Rope Them In he’s been a good horse the past 12 months and the other bloke won the Raconteur in one of the better three-year-old races so he’s not out of his grade there really. “Hopefully they can do us proud to do the town proud.” A big boost to the chances of the two Wolfe runners were the favourable barrier draws on Tuesday. Rope Them In, who will be ridden by Shaun McGruddy, drew barrier five and Brave Spirit has Jarrad Noske aboard and drew gate three. Rope Them In was the first horse confirmed in the Quokka but was disappointing running seventh in the Group 3 Roma Cup last start. Despite that performance Wolfe is confident the four-year-old is ready to run a big race. “Well on face value Rope Them In was disappointing the other day but whether the Bluff Knoll flattened him a bit but he seems to have bounced back very well,” he said. “In the spring I feel that he probably should’ve nearly won the Winterbottom (Stakes) or gone very close so if he can reproduce that sort of an effort I’m bloody sure that he’ll be right there.” Rope Them In, who has won more than $950,000 in prizemoney in 19 career starts, ran fourth to Overpass in the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) in November last year. Wolfe said rising four-year-old Brave Spirit shouldn’t be forgotten in the race, after a third to West Star at Ascot when he resumed on April 5. “Brave Spirit hasn’t missed a beat, he’s got the good gate,” he said. “I actually think that Brave Spirit is probably the knockout blow for us, I just think he’s in good order the other one’s in good order too but I think he’s just he’s got the X-factor if there is one.” Overpass, who has won both Quokka’s so far, was a $2.10 favourite in markets on Tuesday while Rope Them In was listed as a $23 chance and Brave Spirit an outsider at $81. Both Albany horses had a workout on the main grass at Albany Racing Club on Tuesday and will travel to Perth on Friday before the big race.