William Pike landed a rare five-win haul on Thursday’s Pinjarra card ahead of taking strong mounts at Saturday’s marathon Belmont Park meeting featuring the Raconteur Stakes.
The Wizard, who has won a record 15 WA jockeys’ premierships, scored Pinjarra victories aboard Market Snitz, Sassy Snippet, Savvy Ruler, Rock The Market and Flaming Ronda.
He accepted nine mounts on Saturday’s 11-race card, which was increased by the transfer of three events scheduled to have been run at last Sunday’s abandoned Bunbury meeting.
Pike, 40, was in high spirits after Thursday’s wins and said he was particularly impressed by four-year-old Rock The Market’s first-up victory in the seventh race.
“It was a good effort by the mare, to keep running on,” Pike said. “I thought we were going to finish a nice second, but she wanted to win and dug deep.”
Punters are set to rally behind Pike when he rides Ladies Pro, Spicy Thang, Reminiscence, Nonesospicy, Eddietemple, Poblano, Startling Star, Yorga Pride and Fast Harry on Saturday.
Ladies Pro, ridden by Pike when a winner at two of her past three starts, will tackle the $125,000 Raconteur Stakes. She looks a looks a danger to Raconteur favourite Hot And High, who has won each of her five races.
Lucy Fiore will take over on Hot And High, after she was ridden by Brad Parnham and Holly Nottle at her past two appearances.
Three-year-old Spicy Thang will have her first start for trainer Trevor Andrews in Saturday’s 11th race. The filly was trained by Luke Fernie when a last-start second over 1000m at Ascot on April 3.
Meanwhile, embattled Melbourne Cup winning co-trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman face additional charges, after pleading guilty to having administered race-day vet treatments to Kira and Moonhaven.
Stewards allege the Freedmans also failed to record Kira and Moonhaven’s treatments, as required under Australian Racing Rules. The father and son team trained 2023 Melbourne Cup winner Without A Fight.
At a Victorian Racing Tribunal hearing on Wednesday, the Freedman’s barrister Matthew Stirling said they would fight to avoid a mandatory six-month ban for administering vet treatment to horses on the day they were due to race. Penalties will be announced on July 1.
If the trainers cop a six-month disqualification, they will miss a chance to have Melbourne Cup runners on the first Tuesday in November.
Stirling said the Freedman’s failure to maintain treatment records had resulted from stable administration errors.
“A fine would be appropriate for not maintaining treatment records,” Stirling said. “On the race-day treatment charges, we hope the tribunal will impose a penalty which is less than a disqualification.
“If disqualified, Anthony and Sam’s 200 horses must be transferred to other stables. The Freedmans, with a staff of 70, have $380,000 monthly expenses for wages and stable hire.”
Investigative stewards saw Kira being treated, via a nebuliser, at the Freedman’s Cranbourne property last August 16. Stable staff said Moohaven had received treatment earlier in the morning. The horses, entered to race at Caulfield later that day, were scratched by stewards.
Vets had prescribed respiratory treatments for Kira and Moonhaven.
“Anthony and Sam Freedman were not at the Cranbourne stable when treatments were administered, after a staff error,” Stirling said.
+ Critically injured WA jockey Kristy Bennett was reported to be in a stable condition at Gold Coast University Hospital on Thursday.
Bennett, 29, who began riding in Queensland races last month, sustained a brain bleed and was placed in an induced coma after falling from a horse at Tuesday’s Gold Coast barrier trials. Surgeons operated to stem the brain bleed.
Queensland Jockeys’ Association general manager Glen Prentice said he spoke to Bennett’s mother Irene at the hospital on Thursday.
“There is no change in Kristy’s condition, she is critical but stable,” Prentice said. “Doctors are waiting on results and will know more tomorrow.”
