All-Star Mile: WA stars reign supreme as Regal Power wins $5m feature at Caulfield
Redemption came for star Perth jockey Willie Pike a week after he admitted he went early on Regal Power in the Australian Cup when the pair combined to win the $5 million All-Star Mile.
SuperRacing
Don't miss out on the headlines from SuperRacing. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Redemption came for star Perth jockey Willie Pike a week after he admitted he went early on Regal Power in the Australian Cup when the pair combined to win the $5 million All-Star Mile at Caulfield.
The race proved to be a triumph for leviathan Perth owner Bob Peters and his trainers Grant and Alana Williams as they also provided the quinella with three-year-old gelding Superstorm finishing second.
It was Pike at his supreme best as he tracked race favourite Alligator Blood in the run and also had the other main fancy Melody Belle to his inside and he managed to keep her in a pocket until late in the race.
Stream over 50 sports Live & On-Demand with KAYO SPORTS on your TV, computer, mobile or tablet. Just $25/month, no lock-in contract. Get your 14-day free trial and start streaming instantly >
“I am just thrilled, this horse has been so good to me. I wasn’t at my best last start, so this goes some way to atone for that,” Pike said.
“I was waiting for that mid-race steady which I’ve found in pretty much every race I’ve ridden here so far, but it just didn’t come.”
“I was one or two spots closer than I thought I would be, probably told on me a little bit late, but he was good enough, he just kept hanging in there.”
Pike was full of praise for the Williams training team saying that their record in big races was amazing. He said he was lucky as Bob Peters kept finding good horses year after year which makes them all look good.
Grant Williams was overcome by the win and said most of that was due to the victory by Willie Pike which was his first major victory in Victoria. “I’m so happy for him. He’s a champion and when he comes over here he cops it,” Williams said.
Williams also said it meant a lot as it proved they could train Peters horses and travel them to the Eastern States and have success.
“We are a real team. Bob has wound back his car business and he’s really throwing himself into the horses. He has the team at his farm at and we’ve got a really good team at home, all the team at Yalba”
Williams said that the plan was always for Superstorm to run in the All-Star Mile after he finished second in the Australian Guineas but he had to give Peters a nudge to convince him to back up Regal Power.
It was a fortuitous win as Regal Power only entered the field last Monday when Fifty Stars’ connections decided not to take up their golden ticket into the race.
The big flop of the race was Alligator Blood ($2.80) who settled in third place and looked to have a great run but he tired in the run home to finish tenth which was only his second defeat.
Trainer David Vandyke said Alligator Blood pulled up with no abnormalities. He said he had had a great campaign and today’s result didn’t change his achievements.
ALL-STAR MILE FINISHING ORDER
1ST: REGAL POWER
Jockey: William Pike
Ambassador: Tegan Abercrombie (Sunbury) $250,000
2nd: SUPERSTORM
Jockey: Mark Zahra
Ambassador: Aaron Hay (Sydney, NSW) $75,000
3rd: MELODY BELLE
Jockey: Opie Bosson
Ambassador: Bryan Davies (West Auckland, NZ) $40,000
4th: FIERCE IMPACT
Jockey: Craig Williams
Ambassador: Nicky Seeto (Sydney, NSW) $20,000
5th: DALASAN
Jockey: Jamie Kah
Ambassador: Rhyan Jarvis (Barossa Valley, SA) $15,000
6th: SO SI BON
Jockey: Luke Nolen
Ambassador: James Wellfare (Albury, NSW) $10,000
7th: KOLDING
Jockey: Hugh Bowman
Ambassador: Vince Maat (Sydney, NSW) $10,000
8th: BLACK HEART BART
Jockey: Brad Rawiller Ambassador: N/A (All money donated to Royal Children’s Hospital Good Friday Appeal) $10,000
9th: MR QUICKIE
Jockey: Damien Oliver
Ambassador: Max Mitchell (Pakenham) $10,000
10th: ALLIGATOR BLOOD
Jockey: Ryan Maloney
Ambassador: Ron Nathans (Clotnarf, NSW) $10,000
11th: ARISTIA
Jockey: Dwayne Dunn
Ambassador: Robin Gosden (Adelaide, SA) $10,000
12th: STREETS OF AVALON
Jockey: Ben Melham
Ambassador: David Chalmers (Pakenham) $10,000
13th: STAR MISSILE
Jockey: Craig Newitt
Ambassador: David Hoey (Ballina, NSW), $10,000
14th: FLIT
Jockey: Damian Lane
Ambassador: John Kaye (Brisbane, QLD) $10,000
15th: HEART OF PUISSANCE
Jockey: John Allen
Ambassador: Carl Haseloff (Ballarat) $10,000
Originally published as All-Star Mile: WA stars reign supreme as Regal Power wins $5m feature at Caulfield