Arcadia The Queen Of The Masters
8 December, 2018
Thoroughbred
T
THOROUGHBRED
Arcadia Queen has become just the second three-year-old filly to win the Group 1 Kingston Town Classic, with a flawless performance in the final Group 1 of the year.
Two weeks ago, the Pierro filly became the first horse to win the WA Champion Fillies Stakes-WA Guineas double.
Today, she added, arguably, WA’s premier Weight-For-Age race to an impressive CV.
Arcadia Queen was backed as if unbeatable when leading jockey William Pike elected to ride her over Railway Stakes winner Galaxy Star.
She closed a commanding $2.25 favourite and it was clear early in the race she would be hard to beat.
Pike, who had to work hard throughout the Ascot program to make the 50kg, settled the filly slightly better than midfield and he was poised strike at the top of the straight.
Leaders Great Shot and Iconoclasm were under pressure at the top of the straight, as Trap For Fools briefly took the lead.
Arcadia Queen hit the front at the 300m mark under little pressure from Pike, before she extended to win by more than four lengths.
Material Man, who was second in the race last year, ran on gamely to finish runner-up again, while Galaxy Star finished third.
Gatting continued his consistent form to finish fourth, while Prying Tom showed he was on track for a Perth Cup tilt by finishing fifth.
For Arcadia Queen’s trainer Grant Williams, who co-trains her with wife Alana, it capped a special weekend, after his father Ray trained the winner of the Group 1 Mares Classic at Gloucester Park last night.
Williams said he had some minor concerns during the run, but was in awe of the filly’s performance.
“During the run, I thought we were sitting too close,” he said.
“On the turn she was travelling so good.
“We’ve put her right up here with the good ones we’ve had, but that was pretty dominant.”
It was owner-breeders Bob and Sandra Peters fifth success in the race and their first since 2015 and said this may have been the best of them.
“Up until now, I always thought Old Comrade was our best winner of this race,” he said.
“Maybe she can come back and do the same as him.
“We thought she was the best filly we had and she has certainly lived up to that.”
Peters stopped short of committing Arcadia Queen to an east coast campaign, but hinted he may lean towards taking her to New South Wales if he decided to travel.
Earlier this week, Racing New South Wales announced the $7.5 million Golden Eagle for four-year-old’s which could prove to be an attractive option.
Earlier in the day, Peters and Pike teamed up with Adam Durrant and Celebrity Dream to take out the Listed Jungle Dawn Classic (1400m) for a second year running.
In the other features on the card, The Velvet King gave trainer Darren Mc Auliffe his second straight win in the Listed Sir Ernest Lee Steere Classic, while Cappo D’oro won the Listed Towton Cup.
Tim Walker