THE PETLEY REPORT: WILLIAM PIKE STEALS THE SHOW WITH A FOUR-TIMER, INCLUDING TWO GROUP ONE WINS

By Jack Petley | Sunday, October 11, 2020

What a day of racing in Oz, super efforts by top riders, outstanding performances from star gallopers and some major defeats to boot, spring racing has arrived with a bang!

WA jockey William Pike showed why he is the gun rider in the West booted with a four-timer at Caulfield, Kiwi Jason Collett, really making his mark in Sydney these days, added three to his tally of wins, top ride by Michael Walker on the filly Odeum in the 2000 Guineas, Team Hawkes gained a notable double at Caulfield with Dirty Work and Ole Kirk and Rachael King won two for Godolphin's trainer James Cummings at Rosehill and then had a fall in the blue jacket, and so it went on …

Russian Camelot was backed so, so heavily in the G1 Neds Stakes but he went under to a big finish from the WA mare Arcadia Queen who tracked him through most stages of the race and then rushed past him for a big win. She has now firmed from $21 to $6 for the WS Cox Plate while Russian Camelot has erased to just over $3.

Pike was also in fine form on another Grant and Alana Williams trained galloper, Windstorm in the Weekend Hustler, and also gained a placing for the stable on Superstorm in the Toorak … and those Pike wins were on two horses raced by Bob Peters, who has been the leading owner in Perth for so many years.

Then there was Pike’s top ride on the Team Hawkes three-year-old Ole Kirk in the Caulfield Guineas with the son of Written Tycoon now worth so much as a stallion.

And while on the Caulfield Guineas, top Sydney rider Hugh Bowman looks likely to miss the Cox Plate after being suspended for 10 meetings for causing interference in the Guineas. I gather Hugh will commence his suspension after the Caulfield Cup in which he has been engaged for the Aidan O'Brien's Anthony Van Dyke. But that means a new rider will be required for Sir Dragonet, for the Maher-Eustace yard when he comes out of quarantine.

Kiwi Daniel Stackhouse and Mike Moroney combined for a big win with Chapada in the Herbert Power, thus gaining a run in the Caulfield Cup with the gelding having his odds for the Cup next weekend slashed from just over 100 to 1 to 26-1. Chapada has 50.5kgs in the Cup so Mike Moroney will go searching for a lightweight rider for his stayer who, said the top Kiwi trainer, would be all the better for the run. "He is a tough horse and getting fitter every day.”

The disappointment in that race, Orderofthegarter, who was heavily backed down to odds of $2.50 before jump time, showed little dash at all and Danny O'Brien said that Caulfield Cup run would now not eventuate.

Mr Quickie gained a strong win for Jamie Kah in the Toorak with Kah to ride Prince of Arran in the Caulfield Cup this weekend.

Rachael King won for Godolphin earlier in the day, in the Drinkwise Handicap on Criaderas over stablemate Zakat (Glen Boss) and then three races later was out on the mare Flit downing the hot favourite Alligator Blood in the Silver Eagle. The Brisbane speedster fought hard for his placing but over the final stages could not match the power of Flit. Cummings has the $7.5m Golden Eagle on the agenda but he said yesterday he is uncertain which runners he will have in the event with the two winners yesterday perhaps likely and also Colette. Maybe Flit will head south for the Empire Rose, run on the same day as the Golden Eagle.

Flit has firmed to around $8.50 for the Golden Eagle and Alligator Blood has held favouritism, but not as firm, out to $4.50.

Jason Collett started off his winning day with a strong win on the Brett Thompson trained Amy's Shadow in the TAB Highway. Then, in Race 7, the Spring Champion Stakes he brought the David Payne trained filly Montifelia home strongly to defeat NZ bred Lion's Roar and Bucharest and then in race 8, in the Angst he gained a last stride win on the John Sargent trained mare Emeralds over a very game free running Greysful Glamour.

David Payne said he will now go for a third Gr1 win with his smart filly, in the Victorian Oaks at Flemington early in November and I see that she has been promoted to favourite at $4.50.

In the Spring Champion Rachael King fell from Choir but luckily she escaped injury and she came back to the jockeys' room on her own account.

James McDonald was successful on the smart young galloper, the Team Snowden trained, Wild Ruler in the Roman Consul.

The Kiwis did have a good day in both States and Bjorn Baker chimed in with that win by She's Ideel, the Dundeel, the mare coming home in the hands of Nash Rawiller over 2000 metres.

Rawiller told Baker it was a tough win as the mare did not get the best of runs when involved in a bumping duel before the home bend, putting her off balance, but Rawiller said he knew she would respond when put under pressure. "She is tough," he told Bjorn.

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