Racing
Railway glory for Watch Me Rock, King Of Light shines
Ascot delivered a thrilling day of racing on Saturday, headlined by dominant wins from Cosmic Crusader and King Of Light, a Railway Stakes quinella for Grant and Alana Williams, and a string of impressive performances from emerging talent.
From Bartime's bold frontrunning victory to Beatty's explosive sprint and Watch Me Rock's Group 1 triumph, the meeting showcased class and plenty of storylines as the build-up to the Northerly Stakes intensifies.
Bartime caught the eye when boxing on stoically to finish second two starts ago and then was backed off the boards at his next appearance.
Hence, it came as no surprise when he led all the way to commence proceedings.
Although one-off the rail until the 600m point, Austin Galati cut the $6.50 chance down to the rail and kicked him off the bend to lead by a length.
Keeping up the gallop, Brett Pope's six-year-old hung on to beat Auto Cruise ($4.40f) by a half-length.
Beatty ($1.35f) created an impression on debut when very strongly backed and despite showing signs of greenness, he did the job in a decisive manner.
This time, he flew out of the gates before William Pike opted for cover and sat menacingly behind the leaders.
Rounding the bend, he peeled out four wide and let go with a dynamite sprint, sizzling to the front early in the straight.
Merely nudged out to make sure, the Gingerbread Man colt coasted away to score by two and a half lengths from Consignment ($16).
Major Mario ($13) is one of the most consistent horses in training, placing more often than none.
In fact, prior to Saturday, he had run third at a third of his starts.
Jumping quickly, Holly Watson soon had the six-year-old outside the leader over the staying journey before cover arrived from Kisses From Kelly ($34) mid-race.
However, that cover was not taking Watson up to the leader Noahquintilly ($23), and she was forced to make a move at the 600m.
Quickly racing to Noahquintilly early in the straight, that runner proved a worthy adversary and kicked on strongly up the running.
Eventually, Major Mario got the better of the argument and came away, holding off a late run from First Encounter ($2.70f) by a half-length.
Reduced to second place in that event, the Michael Grantham team were swift to hit back in the following, presenting the progressive Westbound ($3.70f) to win.
Settling midfield, the three-year-old was shuffled back at the 600m before Clint Johnston-Porter angled him to the outside approaching the turn.
Racing after The Crimson Pirate ($4.80) at the 200m, the two staged a terrific duel over the final furlong, with Westbound getting the verdict by a half-head.
The team had a two-pronged attack on the next race with Correct Choice ($7) and Noteworthy ($15), though it was the rougher of the two who shone.
Buried four back along the fence nearing the bend, Noteworthy had plenty of traffic to negotiate as Clint Johnston-Porter began to plot a path through.
Spying a gap between the two leaders at the 250m, Johnston-Porter shot the mare through to join long-time leader and well-backed runner Awesome Boy ($4.80) inside the 100m.
Despite racing first-up and being a significant drifter, the six-year-old kept up her momentum to the line, coming away to score by a neck.
Many punters' Railway tickets were already mere confetti last week when Cosmic Crusader failed to win the R J Peters Stakes, meaning he would miss a start in the Group 1 feature.
Whilst his appearance in the Listed $125,000 Carbine Club of WA Stakes (1400m) might not have fully consoled them, those faithful will have been delighted by his showing.
From the outside gate, Clint Johnston-Porter landed the $1.85 hotpot three wide on the back of Boots Like Bruce ($91) before Aztec Ruler ($6) replaced him in that cover-providing role at the 500m.
Swinging four wide on the turn, Cosmic Crusader released a brilliant burst to hit the front at the 250m and waltzed away from his rivals in a simply dominant showing, saluting by two and a half lengths.
Instead of consoling those backers, it might only beg 'what if' considering the haughtiness of a victory which would have made him more than competitive in the Railway.
With three consecutive races falling to the cerise-and-white Peters' silks, it was only a matter of time before leading trainers Grant and Alana Williams struck in return.
So, when Simply and Captain Pluto made their runs in unison to hit the front on the home turn, it was a pleasant watch for the training partners.
Captain Pluto obtained a narrow lead with 100m to go but Simply would not lie down easily and fought back determinedly to recapture the front.
Under the verve of Fred Kersley, Simply battled grandly to win by a short neck from Captain Pluto, with Buckets Ridge closing to chin the cerise-and-white's Stormageddon ($9.50) out of the minor spot.
This year's crop of three-year-olds has been particularly exciting and the build-up to the Group 2 $500,000 WA Guineas (1600m) over recent weeks and months has filled the racing public with trepidation.
However, given his racing style, he was far from a certainty, especially with the presence of Heeza Phoenix ($6.50) and Rock Fest ($4), who chased him home last start.
In typical style, Heeza Phoenix made the pace and although King Of Light began well, he found himself snowbound approaching the bend.
While he was incarcerated, Heeza Phoenix absconded and dashed three lengths clear early in the straight.
Eventually, William Pike wound up King Of Light and probed him through a narrow gap at the 200m to shoot after the front-runner.
Once into open air, he exploded, racing past the pacesetter to win by a length and a quarter in another dynamic success.
It sends him firmly to the top of Northerly Stakes (1800m) betting for two weeks' time.
If the Group 1 $1.5 million Railway Stakes (1600m) promised to serve as the main, the earlier Scahill Cup surely served as the entrée.
In this race, the Williams' Watch Me Rock ($3.40f) and Western Empire ($6) had grip of the betting, but Peters' Diamond Scene ($7.50) was snapping at their heels.
Would the result be reversed on the big stage in a race that Peters' progeny had made their own?
Both Western Empire and Watch Me Rock began well and were hustled forward and soon occupied the two best spots in the race: leader's back and one-out, one-back.
On the turn, Pike sent Watch Me Rock up three wide, but Billy Egan bustled Western Empire into the clear underneath him, and the Williams duo made their runs together.
However, Watch Me Rock revealed a sizzling spring and took a length out of Western Empire, who fought valiantly to recapture his 2021 crown.
But courtesy of a 4kg weight swing and the freshness of being three years his junior, the son of Awesome Rock kept up the gallop to the line, scoring by three-quarters of a length from his sparring partner.
Stayer Sentimental Hero ($61) got up to grab third in advance of Diamond Scene ($7), both of whom will have designs on the Perth Cup in six weeks.
Galvanised by the deeds of Watch Me Rock, punters piled into market elect Smooth Chino ($2.10f) to take the last rac after a stirring first-up win.
Pinging from the barriers, Austin Galati tucked the fancy behind pace-maker Magnique ($15) before shooting him into the clear around the bend.
Balancing up, Galati got to work and sent the unbeaten four-year-old to the front at the 150m, eventually stomping away to win by a length and a half.
HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY
Hard to go past the training effort of Grant and Alana Williams to get a Railway quinella, their first success in the event since becoming a public training operation.
Watch Me Rock is a certified winner who continues to raise the bar and made the most of his opportunity, while Western Empire stamped his credentials for the Northerly Stakes with a fine runner-up performance.
However, he will meet WA Guineas winner King Of Light in that race, which augurs as a tantalising clash.
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