Jockey William Pike’s national premiership Mission Impossible on verge of reality

Jockey William Pike is on the verge of conjuring one of his most extraordinary achievements despite missing four months of the racing season through injury and suspension.

As of the morning of July 16, 2024, William Pike had a four-win lead in the Australian Jockey Premiership.

Riding freak William Pike feared he was going to be sidelined for 18 months with a fractured heel, but astonishingly is in the box seat to score the Australian jockeys’ premiership despite missing four months of the season.

The wizard from WA has a four-win lead over Jimmy Orman in the race for national riding honours and boasts an incredible 25.4 per cent winning strike rate this season.

Pike’s strike rate of more than one win every four races puts every other jockey in the top 20 of the national riding premiership in the shade, even the champion James McDonald who is striking at 24.8 per cent this season.

What makes Pike’s season even more amazing is that he was sidelined for almost three months with a busted heel and missed more time through suspensions.

“It has actually been a very challenging season with injuries and suspensions, so, to be honest, premierships were the furthest thing from my mind,” Pike told Racenet.

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William Pike is in the box seat to win the Australian jockeys’ premiership. Picture: Western Racepix

“If things didn’t go to plan with the healing process with my injury, I was potentially looking at being on the sidelines for anything up to 18 months which actually frightened the hell out of me.

“But I tried to stay positive and fortunately my return was pretty much the best case scenario.

“I still have a limp but, luckily, as soon as I am in the saddle, everything is fine. With everything that has happened I guess once the season is over I will reflect on it and be pretty happy with how I have dealt with the challenges it has thrown up.”

Pike currently sits on top of the Australian riding premiership with 161½ wins, four ahead of Orman who has 157½ wins and then there is Chris Parnham (148 wins) and Damian Lane (145 wins).

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Last year’s national jockey premiership winner, Aaron Bullock, is fifth with 137 wins.

Orman has been sidelined through suspensions in recent times but returns to ride at Doomben’s Wednesday meeting as he tries to run down Pike in the last couple of weeks of the season.

How it stands on the morning of July 16, 2024: Willie Pike leads the national jockeys’ premiership by four wins from Queenslander Jimmy Orman and fellow West Australian Chris Parnham.

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Pike, a 17-time Group 1 winner, has spent stints riding in Melbourne and Sydney, where he at one stage based himself, over the past few years.

He hasn’t left WA much in recent times, but revealed he was keen to make an impact on the Victorian spring carnival.

“I am actually pretty keen to get to Melbourne this spring,” Pike said.

“It is difficult to turn up without a stable or horse commitments. But I will probably get my manager to see what opportunities are out there and if there are some promising offers I would love to be a part of the carnival again.”

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Originally published as Jockey William Pike’s national premiership Mission Impossible on verge of reality