Empire strikes in Railway heist for Peters, Pike
For the fourth time in a row, the Group 1 goes to owner, jockey and trainers Grant and Alana Williams
At times during the Covid-19 pandemic, it has certainly felt as though Western Australia has become a state apart from the rest of the federation, a separate entity removed from the country to which it belongs. So perhaps it was fitting that, as the wall went up and yesterday’s Railway Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) became a local affair due to Covid-19 restrictions, the winner was the aptly-named Western Empire (4 g Iffraaj – Western Jewel by Jeune).
It is a tremendous shame that Western Empire did not get to tackle visitors from the east fresh off the spring carnival because, given the imperious nature of his victory yesterday, it is difficult to see how any rival could have made inroads on the horse that was sent out the shortest-priced favourite in the race’s 134-year history.
Already a four-time stakes winner at three, culminating in a gallant win in the WATC Derby (Gr 2, 2400m) in April, Western Empire returned three weeks ago to take out the Asian Beau Stakes (Gr 3, 1400m) comfortably before claiming his biggest success to date yesterday in landing the $1 million Railway Stakes.
In doing so, he became the fourth straight winner of the Railway for leviathan owner Bob Peters, trainers Grant and Alana Williams and jockey William Pike, following from last year’s victress Inspirational Girl (Reliable Man), 2019 hero Regal Power (Pierro) and Galaxy Star (Redoute’s Choice) in 2018. Such a fixture are the cerise and white colours in the west that, for many interstate, they have become synonymous with Perth racing.
“It’s a very hard race to win, I’ve always said that,” Peters said. “It took us a long time to win our first one (Old Comrade, 2001) and then a long time to win our second one (Elite Belle, 2014) and then we seem to have gotten the knack of it the last couple of years.”
Bounced out of the gates into a forward position by Pike, Western Empire eventually settled fifth one off the fence as Lee Steere Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) winner Massimo (Sessions) set a typically ruthless speed. The leader was quickly under siege upon straightening, with a number staking their claims, but – in the words of racecaller Darren McAullay – the “ominous shadow of Western Empire” quickly emerged as the most likely winner.
With Pike sitting statuesque inside the 250 metres, it looked a case of counting the lengths with Western Empire and so it proved as he shifted to another gear in a matter of strides, bounding clear to score by a widening four lengths.
The Rhys Radford-trained Comfort Me (Playing God) made an impression at his first start against stakes company, pulling clear of the remainder of the field to grab second, with Kissonallforcheeks (Written Tycoon) – on the quick back-up after winning the R J Peters Stakes (Gr 3, 1500m) last weekend – a further length and a half away in third.
Pike was full of praise for Western Empire, saying that he had progressed from being a “scary” three-year-old to a “scary good” four-year-old.
“His attitude is better now,” he said. “He’s always pretty up and about but he’s come our way a bit and he lets us apply himself better – before, he did things his own way, whereas now he’s come to hand more.
“I knew I had the horse to get the job done and I thought if there was one weak link, it would be me. He’s a fantastic horse, the horse is in the zone.”
Western Empire is likely to head to the Kingston Town Classic (Gr 1, 1800m) next, which will once again be an all-local affair with the McGowan government’s restrictions making it impossible for interstate raiders to contest any of the Perth features this year.
While he clearly shapes as the headline horse for the Kingston Town Classic, Peters recognises that the step up from handicap to weight-for-age will present a new set of challenges, no matter the size of yesterday’s victory.
Indeed, his biggest threats look to be stablemates Regal Power, who has had only two starts back in Perth since returning from his year-long stint in Victoria where he won the $5 million All-Star Mile (1600m), and yesterday’s WA Guineas (Gr 2, 1600m) winner Treasured Star (3 f Toronado – Treasured Gift by Big Brown), who made a mess of her age group in the three-year-old feature.
“It’s hard to tell how good he may be,” a typically understated Peters said. “If he goes forward, he’s got to meet the opposition at worse weights than what he did today but he did it quite well.”
Western Empire, who became the 11th individual Group 1 winner for Darley stalwart Iffraaj (Zafonic), is one of two stakes winners from five foals to race out of Peters’ Perth Cup (Gr 2, 2400m) winner Western Jewel (Jeune). The other is Bunbury Stakes (Listed, 1400m) victor Western Temple (Dream Ahead), who finished fourth in yesterday’s Carbine Club of WA Stakes (Listed, 1400m).
Peters raced Western Jewel’s dam Our Millster (Marooned) too, with the family also featuring 2010 Railway Stakes runner-up Famous Roman (Danetime).
Western Jewel has two more unraced foals by Iffraaj: a three-year-old gelding named Western Knight, who is in training with former jockey Jarrad Noske, and yearling colt Western Power. She also has a filly at foot by Toronado (High Chaparral).
Magic Millions clues emerge on both sides of Tasman
Only once before has a New Zealand trainer launched an assault on the Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m), but the all-conquering Jamie Richards is keen to try his hand across the Tasman in January with yesterday’s debutant winner Bright Blue Sky (2 f Fastnet Rock – Blue Blue Sky by Lonhro).
The hype around the Te Akau juvenile reached fever pitch as she was backed into $1.40 favourite for the Fasttrack Insurance 2YO Stakes (Listed, 1100m) at Te Rapa off two trials at Taupo and Matamata. And she ensured that her reputation would remain intact with a two and a quarter length win that failed to reflect her true dominance in defeating a game Sacred Satono (Satono Aladdin) with the fading Mascarinto (Per Incanto) a further length away in third.
The filly carried 54.5 kilograms, a rare lighter impost for jockey Opie Bosson, but he said that he knew she was worth the effort when he partnered her in trackwork recently.
“When I rode her in trackwork, I didn’t want to miss out on raceday so I told David (Ellis) and Jamie I would make the weight,” Bosson said. “I actually did it quite easily in the end.
“She is still learning as she was on and off the bit, but that can happen on raceday when they go a bit quicker. I just liked the way she balanced up underneath me and she went to the line with her ears back, so she was having a real go.
“I followed the first two as I thought they were the two speed horses. I didn’t want to get caught up in behind them, so I popped off the rail and while she took a little bit to balance up, she then changed legs and won quite nicely in the end.”
Bosson has only had 38 rides this season, opting for quality over quantity, and he has been rewarded with six stakes wins, including two yesterday with Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) heroine, the Joanne Surgenor-trained Showoroses (Showcasing), joining Bright Blue Sky.
The majority, though, have been for Richards, who – week after week – continues to establish himself among the leading horsemen to have ever come out of New Zealand. A Magic Millions 2YO Classic win with Bright Blue Sky would not be the biggest victory of his young career, not even close, but it would be creating another little bit of history.
Only one Kiwi, Travino (General Nediym) for Matamata handler Peter McKay, has ever returned to the Gold Coast a year on for the feature. He finished 12th behind the Gai Waterhouse-trained No Looking Back (Redoute’s Choice), who was herself relegated in favour of stablemate Driefontein (Fastnet Rock), in 2012.
Richards admits that he would like to get her to Queensland for the January 15 contest, but he will wait and see how she comes out of her first start.
“There’s a bit of relief there today as she has a pretty big wrap on her,” he said. “She hasn’t put a foot wrong the whole way through and first time to the races she is a stakes winner, so you can’t argue with that.
“She will go home now and have a few days out, then I’ll have a talk to the boss and work out where to next. The dream would be to get her back to the Gold Coast for the Magic Millions, although we don’t have to make any decisions today.
“The sky’s the limit and we’re looking forward to where she is going to end up as it was very exciting the way she was able to win.”
Te Akau principal David Ellis combined forces with Andy Williams to secure the filly, offered by Coolmore, for $600,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Her dam Blue Blue Sky (Lonhro) was a Geelong maiden winner in 2015 and finished her racing career with Robert and Luke Price, who yesterday celebrated their biggest win when Count De Rupee (Real Impact) took out the $1 million The Gong (1600m) at Kembla Grange. Meanwhile, second dam Napa Sky (Stravinsky) was Group 3-placed in Sydney and is a blueblood in her own right as a sister to the top performer La Sizeranne as well as a blood sister to Estelle Collection, the dam of Lankan Rupee (Redoute’s Choice).
“It’s a big thrill for the owners of this filly. I bought her with Andy on the Gold Coast and we’ve got a great group of owners involved,” Ellis said. “Nicole Shailer, an absolute champion, runs our Middle Barn at Matamata, where the filly is stabled and the success out of that barn is just amazing.
“We’ll plan on giving Bright Blue Sky a week to 10 days in the paddock and all going well then send her to Queensland to prepare for the Magic Millions.
“She was bred by Coolmore Stud and any horse bred there has a big start in life. Coolmore bought Avantage when she retired and she’s in foal to Wootton Bassett, and they’re great people to do business with and probably the most successful breeders in the world.”
Bright Blue Sky has a yearling half-sister by American Pharoah (Pioneerof The Nile); Blue Blue Sky missed to American Pharoah last year but was served by Merchant Navy (Fastnet Rock) last month.
Less than two hours later, it was the turn of the Victorian juveniles to put their claims forward with Cusack (2 c Not A Single Doubt – Belle Que by Street Hero) a gritty debut winner of the Magic Millions Ballarat 2YO Classic (1000m).
The $250,000 lead-up has not proven the best guide to the Gold Coast feature; of the nine winners up to 2020, five went on to contest the main event in January. The best performer of those was Carriages (Hinchinbrook), who finished eighth in 2015, but the other four Ballarat winners to head north finished 13th or worse.
This year, though, saw a change with the Ballarat contest returning to the traditional Victorian direction of counter-clockwise, after the race had been introduced as the only clockwise race to be run in the state.
The result was a tight finish with the Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained Cusack, ridden by Craig Newitt, just holding off the late surge of Matt Cumani’s Cover Star (Star Witness) to score by a nose. Third, a further length away, was another debutant – Epic Centre (Starspangledbanner) for Clayton Douglas – to make it a trifecta for the newcomers.
The flashy Cusack, a $200,000 purchase for Busuttin and Young from the Fernrigg Farm draft at this year’s Magic Millions, is owned by a large group of women and Busuttin confirmed that the chestnut would chase the additional $500,000 bonus for women’s only ownership groups.
“It is great to win for a great bunch of owners, a bunch of ladies that have got together and bought this horse,” he said. “They’ll be chasing that bonus up on the Gold Coast. It’s good to get new owners involved and I’m rapt for them.
“He was tough, he didn’t do everything 100 per cent. He was sort of off the bridle on the point of the turn and I thought, ‘you’re in trouble’ – and then he was hanging out from the horse inside him but he hung tough and it was great.
“The Gold Coast is certainly a lot harder but he’s basically got his ticket in the race so all being well we’ll go up there. He’ll have a little break now, get him racing around that way and get up there.”
Fernrigg Farm will offer a sister to Cusack at the 2022 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. She is catalogued as Lot 792 and will sell on the afternoon of Friday, January 14.
Belle Que was due to foal down to Darley’s Microphone (Exceed And Excel) earlier this month.