Willie Pike would have shaken his head and laughed at you had you told him 12 months ago he would be a regular rider in Sydney, partnering with powerhouse trainer Chris Waller, riding in The Everest and Golden Eagle, and now the $2m Big Dance at Randwick on Melbourne Cup Day.
“Even if you had said that in passing, I would have told you you were crazy,” Pike said. “It’s funny how things work out.”
Pike, the man known as the “Wizard of the West”, left Perth racing at the start of the year because of his stance on the Covid vaccination, and had his first NSW ride in February.
The locals rolled out the welcome mat for Pike, so much so that he was happy to ditch the west altogether and call Sydney – or Castle Hill, in the city’s Hills District, more specifically – home.
He will head back to Perth for the first time in the coming weeks for their cashed-up carnival, including Railway Stakes Day.
But the short-term focus is to kick home a major winner in Sydney – and the immediate plan is to boot home Quality Time and Solar Apex for Team Waller in the $2m Big Dance and $1m Little Dance on Tuesday.
Willie Pike has enjoyed a fantastic first year in Sydney.Credit:Wolter Peeters/SMH
Pike rode Quality Time on Saturday for a brave seventh in the Rosehill Cup, and provided he pulls up well, the 2000m lead-up run will hold him in good stead for the tough Randwick mile.
“That was my first ride on him, and while it’s not too often you hear someone complain about it, he began too well,” Pike said.
“He’s a bold, strong-going horse, and once I jumped so well, I was going at a gear too high. Coming back in distance won’t be a problem I have to worry about. He’s rock-hard fit, in a good stable and in good form, so there are no real knocks on him.”
Quality Time won three on the trot before his last outing, including the Port Macquarie Cup.
Willie Pike will team up with Team Waller with Quality Time and Solar Apex in the Big Dance and Little DanceCredit:Wolter Peeters/SMH
Pike rode three winners on Sunday at Goulburn, including the Cup winner for Waller on Oscar Zulu, a victory which qualifies the five-year-old gelding for next year’s Big Dance.
Solar Apex has been set for the Little Dance, and Pike knows Waller rarely misses when setting a horse for a specific race.
As for his overall form through the Sydney spring, Pike said: “I’ve had some fantastic opportunities, including rides in The Everest and Golden Eagle – to be trusted with rides in those races with serious prizemoney is really good.
“There is so much money here, it means the jockeys are never comfortable and always having to fight for their spot and be on their A-game. That’s not just in the city, but also your provincial and country tracks as well. Everyone rides like it’s their last ride.
“As far as the sport goes, that’s fantastic. I don’t know if the competition has made me a better rider, but it has definitely made me a more rounded rider.
“It would be nice to get a big-race win under my belt in the coming weeks. The carnival is fast closing, so I’ve still got a few chances.”
