Trainer Steve Wolfe confident Rope Them In can challenge for Group 1 glory in red-hot Winterbottom field

Star Albany sprinter Rope Them In suffered a blow in his hopes of Winterbottom Stakes glory, drawing wide in the $1.5m Group 1 feature race but trainer Steve Wolfe remains bullish on his winning chances. Rope Them In bypassed last Saturday’s Railway Stakes, instead preferred by trainer Steve Wolfe and connections to tackle this week’s MCA Polytrack Winterbottom Stakes (1200m). In a crack field that contains Eastern States sprint sensation Overpass and boom WA horse Jokers Grin, the Albany galloper drew gate 10 on Tuesday. Wolfe said this week that his stable star was in brilliant condition ahead of the Winterbottom and is confident he can challenge the best sprinters assembled in the small field. Rope Them In was listed a $14 chance with TABtouch on Wednesday in the field of nine after scratchings of Man Crush and Spacewalk. Jokers Grin is the $2.50 favourite with Overpass, who has won the last two editions of the race, listed a $2.75 chance. William Pike’s mount Rey Magnerio is the only other runner in single figures at $9. Jokers Grin boasts an incredible record of nine wins from 12 career starts. Wolfe’s Rope Them In will be ridden by stable jockey Shaun McGruddy and comes into the race having run second to Watch Me Rock in the Group 3 Asian Beau Stakes. That came after the five-year-old was a sensational winner of the listed Crawford Stakes first-up this campaign. Rope Them In is out to better his fourth-place finish in the Winterbottom last season, flashing home from well back in the field to finish within two lengths of Overpass.