Cover image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
On Friday evening, Team Hawkes produced Masked Crusader (Toronado {Ire}) to land the G1 William Reid S. with Pike sporting part-owner Rupert Legh’s colours and he was again in the blue and gold lightning bolt silks in the Neds-sponsored Mornington feature.
The race was locked in as the principal target this preparation for the lightly raced Mount Popa and a dominant front-running display not only banked the $210,000 first prize, but also a spot in the G1 Caulfield Cup later in the year.
Birthday boy Pike didn’t stop there either and a subsequently collected the Listed Neds Hareeba S. aboard Laverrod (Toronado {Ire}) for Western Australian trainers Sean and Jake Casey, for whom he also won the Quayclean Mornington Guineas with Dom To Shoot (Shooting To Win).
Pike ended the day with a quartet of winners having earlier also been successful aboard Andrew Noblet’s Ginger Jones (Gingerbread Man) in the Mornington Peninsula News Group H., but planned a modest celebration.
“I’ll have a cup of tea and a block of chocolate. I stopped counting birthdays a long time ago,” he said.
“I’ll have a cup of tea and a block of chocolate. I stopped counting birthdays a long time ago.” – William Pike
Mount Popa’s victory executed a long-term plan mapped out by the Hawkes stable
“He’s going to the paddock now he’s got the golden ticket into the Cup (Caulfield). He only had one run left in him so it’s worked out perfectly,” Wayne Hawkes said. “Willie didn’t really want to lead, but they kept giving up to him. He’s a very progressive type.”
Mount Popa coasted along at the head of affairs, eased clear the top of the straight and the 4-year-old surged clear to have a wide margin on runner-up Noncomformist (Rebel Raider) and Irish Flame (NZ) (Zed {NZ}).
“It was a bit like trackwork and a beautiful watch from where I was,” Hawkes said.
Mount Popa isn’t the first staying import the stable has enjoyed success with as Master Of Wine (Ger) (Maxios {GB}) is another prime example with four wins, including a G3 Sky High S. success to his credit in Australia.
“This bloke and Master Of Wine were immature and you have let them tell you whatever their form (overseas) was. We just look at a blank canvas and Master Of Wine had a chance to win the G1 Ranvet S., but he’ll have to wait until next Saturday,” Hawkes said.
“At the same stage, Mount Popa is a bit ahead but to be fair to Master of Wine he’s got a bit to catch him, he’s run against Verry Elleegant and company and I didn’t quite see a Verry Elleegant running here.
“The only thing that they have in common is that they come from the Northern Hemisphere. It’s a bit like Michael and I, he can train and I can’t.”
Mount Popa (Ire) | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
League of his own
While Pike didn’t intend to lead on Mount Popa, the stayer proved a class above his opposition.
“The moment I cantered off on Mount Popa I knew in his preliminary that I had a serious horse underneath me,” he said.
“I was a little concerned when I lobbed in front and I was hoping to get some cover. He was looking around a fair bit in front and didn’t take the turns that well, but at the end of the day he was just too good.”
A race later, Pike guided Laverrod to a first black-type victory, enjoying a hot pace forced by Sirius Suspect (Wanted) taking on the front-running favourite Ancestry (The Brothers War {USA}).
“If you leave Ancestry alone he wins by 6l so luckily enough I benefitted from that. There was good speed up front and he enjoyed that,” Pike said.
Laverrod round off strongly to beat How Womantic (The Wow Signal {Ire}), who improved sharply off an unplaced run in the G1 Oakleigh Plate, and Hightail (Written Tycoon) took third off a tiring Ancestry.
