Champion jockey Craig Williams striving for another cup with ‘special horse’ Vow And Declare
Craig Williams is chasing another big-race win with Vow And Declare after recently reuniting with his Melbourne Cup winner.
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Champion jockey Craig Williams has just the spot for a Pakenham Cup trophy — right alongside the Melbourne Cup he won aboard Vow And Declare in 2019.
Evergreen nine-year-old gelding Vow And Declare, trained by Danny O’Brien, is a $6 third favourite with Ladbrokes to win the Listed Pakenham Cup (2500m) on Saturday.
“Every race you want to win, you go into them that way, but with Vow And Declare, of course, he’s quite a special horse to me,” Williams said.
“We love older horses that are etched in our history for racing in our biggest races and people still love seeing them go around and being competitive, I think it’s fantastic.”
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Williams reunited with Vow And Declare for the first time in four years last start when eighth in the Group 3 Bendigo Cup (2400m) on October 30.
“When you win a Melbourne Cup on one (horse) it changes your life,” Williams said.
“Danny and his team has done a great job with him the last couple of years.
“Obviously closer to the end than the start of his career, so it’s great to partner up with him, and I learned a bit from him the other day when I rode him at Bendigo.
“I won’t be telling him what to do, I’ll be riding him where he feels comfortable.”
Williams pushed forward from a wide draw in the Bendigo Cup but Vow And Declare could not rival the younger and sharper stayers over the concluding stages.
Vow And Declare finished eighth in a clump of four horses, including subsequent Melbourne Cup winner Knight’s Choice, separated by less than 1½ lengths.
Two of the three, Herman Hesse and I’m A Dirty Rascal, line up in the Pakenham Cup on Saturday.
Vow And Declare was freshened up for the Pakenham Cup after initial plans to target the Group 2 Zipping Classic (2400m) last month, a race he won in 2022, were aborted due to wet weather.
Williams ticked over Vow And Declare a fortnight ago, placed fourth of 10 in a 1400m Ballarat trial.
“They were too fast for him,” Williams said.
“He’s doing a good job, what I said to Danny after I trialled him was he’s enjoying being here, his action was great, his attitude was excellent, he looks fantastic.
“He needs his right surface and he needs his right trip, in handicaps he’s quite highly weighted but I guess it wasn’t long ago when he won in Brisbane either.
“I’m delighted to be on him on Saturday, he’s going well.”
Vow And Declare won the Group 3 Tatt’s Cup (2400m) at Eagle Farm in June for the second time since 2019 and set a track record in the process.
The nine-year-old has won six of 49 starts, placed 12 times and earned $7.7m prizemoney.
Williams has nine rides on Saturday at Pakenham including Robrick in the $1m The Supernova (1400m) and Helix in The David Bourke Memorial (1400m).
Originally published as Champion jockey Craig Williams striving for another cup with ‘special horse’ Vow And Declare
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