As the Group Ones over in the west come into full swing, the spotlight is once again on champion jockey William Pike, commonly known as the wizard. The saying ‘Pike in the last’ does the rounds in punting circles all over Australia come the completion of the last in the Eastern states, with most of us putting our faith in the ‘wizard’ at Belmont, Ascot or Pinjarra, in favour of getting on the $4.90 favourite in a field of four at Darwin.
Following the victory of $31 outsider ‘Great Shot’ in last Saturday’s Group 1 Railway Stakes at Ascot, punters Australia wide came for Willie Pike in the get out stakes aboard $4.60 favourite ‘See Me Sizzle’, following his 3 previous winners that day. After popular runners Black Heart Bart (2nd) and Tom Melbourne (3rd) ironically filled the minors, the mere $1.20 dividend for third-place See Me Sizzle in the last reassured the typical punter, that, they would certainly not be accepting the $16 surcharge for the maxi-taxi into town, thus prompting the “are we taking the long way mate?” question, despite being well aware there is no faster route.
Before turning to straight races at Turffentien with twelve different camera angles (that give you absolutely no indication where the finish line is), 4800m steeple chases at Fontainebleau or god help us overseas races which provide no weight, form, barrier or even odds (been there), Australia’s number one ranked jockey gives us the ultimate chance of redemption when he takes his mount aboard an odds-on favourite at Ascot or Belmont each Saturday evening. So what are your chances of the great man earning your rent money back in the last? According to Saturday meets in the West so far this year, about 15%.
In fact, you would have to go all the way back to the 14th of October to find the last time Pike rode a winner in the last, aboard $2.00 favourite Royal Star at Bunbury. Of his 38 Saturday racing rides in the last this year, he has had success just six times, highlighted by $8.50 shot Bollywood Blitz romping it in on April 1st at Ascot, coming from 7th at the 800 to score by 2.5L. He also had consecutive winners in the last on the 23rd and 30th of September on board Final Salute ($4.60) and Cash On Call ($3.80). Pike’s other two winning rides in the last came on $4.60 chance Profit Street at Ascot on the 22nd of April, and Winterbottom Stakes favourite State Solicitor ($1.65) on the 27th of May at Belmont.
For those regularly investing on Willie Pike in the last, either making the trip to the ATM for your fourth withdrawal of the day or deciding to go all-or-nothing on the days winnings, you would be in some trouble to say the least. Hypothetically, if you had $100 on the nose of Pike’s every ride in the last this year, you would have punted $3,800 for around about $2,500 return, an overall loss of $1300.
We all know someone however who isn’t short of a hard luck story on the punt, especially the Pike backers in the last. The wizard has also recorded a further eleven minor places on top of his six victories in the last of the day so far this year. Adding insult to injury for some, Pike was placed 2nd in the last for three consecutive weeks between the 15th and 29th of July, including an inspiring ride on Presentatie ($17), coming from 6th at the 400 to charge home and miss by 0.5L at Belmont. More optimistically, Pike has been placed 44% of the time when riding in the last on Saturday meets in 2017, placing in almost half, a far from disgraceful effort. Not short of a horror story for favourite backers in the last however, Pike was unplaced on board $1.60 favourite State Solicitor at Ascot in May this year, wiping out the most quaddies and multis since Hugh Bowman on Lady Le Fay in 2016.
Pike has six rides this weekend including Winterbottom Stakes favourite State Solicitor. He has ridden 191 winners so far in 2017, closing in on the 202 he rode in 2016. Got a memorable moment about backing Pike in the last? Have your say!
