Cosmic Crusader put an exclamation mark on a campaign that has seen him rise from Western Australian star to a bona fide member of Australia racing’s elite with a historic win in Saturday’s Cox Plate at Flemington.
The six-year-old provided trainer Andrea Leek and jockey William Pike with their maiden major wins in the first edition of the $6 million Group 1 run away from Moonee Valley, which is under reconstruction.
The tough gelding bounced out of last week’s Caulfield Cup (2400m), in which he finished fourth as favourite, to run down Chris Waller-trained pair Birdman and Aeliana in the 2040m event, which was run in front of 34,617 fans.
The result got the better of a usually reserved Pike, who couldn’t help but mark the occasion with an uncharacteristic celebration after passing the post.
“I don’t ever dream of winning these races, because it’s always too far to reach,” he said.
“I had in my mind over the line, I’m not much of a saluter, I’m like ‘don’t salute, don’t salute’ and then the moment gets the better of you and you stand up and you salute and you carry on.
“It’s amazing, it’s infectious. (There’s a) big crowd, an iconic day – most likely the only ever Cox Plate to be run here – so it’s nice that we get to etch our name in there.”
Cosmic Crusader ($9.50) posted the 12th win of a 24-start career when he got home by three quarters of a length from Birdman ($11), who finished a head in advance of $4.20 favourite Aeliana.
Fourth was Sydney visitor Ceolwulf, who like Cosmic Crusader was on the back-up after finishing second in last week’s King Charles III Stakes, while long-time pre-post favourite Sir Delius ($5) laboured into sixth position.
Leek, who took training of Cosmic Crusader from Perth horseman Michael Grantham, who prepared him to win last year’s Group 1 Northerly Stakes, ahead of the spring campaign and has taken him from Group 3 Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) success at his first Victorian start all the way back on July 25 to Cox Plate victory in a seven-run campaign.
In between was another Flemington Group 1 win, in the Turnbull Stakes (2000m), Group 2 success in the P B Lawrence Stakes (1400m) and Group 1 minor placings in the Memsie Stakes (1400m) and Underwood Stakes (1800m), along with the Caulfield Cup effort.
Leek, a former successful jumps jockey, said she knew after the Bletchingly Stakes he was a horse who could take her towards a stage she hadn’t dared dream she would perform on.
“He wasn’t over the distance that he needed to be at that stage, what he was doing then was extraordinary,” she said of the Bletchingly Stakes win.
“He’s just an iron horse and he has just got better and better and better.
“What a champion. What a ride by Willie Pike. Thanks to the Peters’ for giving him to me and trusting in me.
“I’ve said before, I feel like I’m an imposter. To step in and have a horse like this in the early stages of my career, I’m very lucky. I couldn’t be happier.”
