Peters has actually now won 11 Derbies in WA, his champion Natasha (Old Spice) won the now-defunct G1 WATC Australian Derby in 1990, and the dream team of jockey William Pike and trainers Grant and Alana Williams have won the past four editions for Peters, and six of the past seven.
His latest success came as no surprise, with Western Empire (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}) starting a $1.30 favourite, but six weeks ago, the leviathan owner had very different intentions for the son of Iffraaj (GB).
Iffraaj (GB) | Standing at Darley Europe
"With this fellow, we weren't even thinking we’d even give him this campaign because he was a bit immature. But he's handled it really well. He's gone from each race to the next quite well," Peters told TDN AusNZ.
"He was a bit fiery early and pulling in his racing. He had no racing manners at all. We had to put a Norton bit on him and the first time we did that he overreacted to the slow pace and he got beaten."
That defeat, in the Listed Challenge S., where he was beaten by 3.5l, forced a re-think from the stable about a trip to Melbourne.
"He ran third about two weeks before the Australian Guineas. I had him booked on the plane on the Monday night to go over and run in that and we were ready to go. But when he didn't win that race, I thought we probably wouldn't get a run in the Australian Guineas," he said.
"He had been placed in a couple of Listed races but hadn’t won any decent races, so he didn’t go. I then decided to run him through the series of races here that lead up to the Derby and he's won all of them, all four races.
"He pulled up from each run really well, a lot better than I thought he would."
"He (Western Empire) pulled up from each run really well, a lot better than I thought he would." - Bob Peters
Bred to stay
On pedigree, Western Empire looked like an ideal derby type. His dam, Western Jewel (Jeune {GB}), was a Group 2 winner over 2400 metres and won eight of her 31 starts in Peters' colours.
Sandra and Bob Peters
"She won the Perth Cup for us. She hadn't won any high-class races before getting to it and we brought her along in lower-class races and she stepped up on the day," Peters recalled.
Peters Investments had purchased her dam, Our Millster (Marooned {GB}), as a broodmare prospect after her racing career, and as well as Western Jewel, she produced G3 Raconteur S. winner Western Blaze (Hard Spun {USA}) for Peters.
"The people who had Our Millster were slowing down in the racing industry and I bought her a bit later. We bred with her for quite a while. She's been a good mare for us along the journey," he said.
Western Jewel started her breeding career in Australia and her first three foals were winners, including Western Temple (Dream Ahead {USA}), the recent Listed Bunbury S. winner for her new owners under the guidance of Kalgoorlie trainer Peter Fernie.
Peters identified then Haunui Farm resident Iffraaj as a good match for her and sent her to join his collection of around a dozen mares based in New Zealand.
"Iffraaj had that Jon Snow and another good one as well, Gingernuts. I thought he'd make a good sire. I bought an Iffraaj filly too, I quite liked her. That made a bit of sense at the time. He had some very good horses over in Europe as well," he said.
"She went to him a couple of times and was over there but I have brought her back to Australia now when Iffraaj didn't come back anymore. She came back to Victoria."
Western Jewel is now in foal to Swettenham Stud's Toronado (Ire), with her most recent foal an Iffraaj colt, while Peters has another brother to Western Empire, a 2-year-old gelding named Western Knight (NZ).
Toronado (Ire) | Standing at Swettenham Stud
"We haven't done anything with him, yet. He hasn't got to the trials. He’ll come back into work soon and go through his preparations," Peters said.
Meanwhile, Western Empire is back in the spelling paddock already, with a view to targeting the Group 1 racing in Western Australia later in 2021, looking to join the likes of Regal Power (Pierro) and Delicacy (Al Maher) as WA Derby winners in the cerise and white to go on to Group 1 glory.
"At this stage, that's the plan. We did that with Regal Power after he won the Derby and he came through the Perth campaign quite well. Hopefully, this fellow can too," he said.
"He should develop with his time out, but he has handled this really well. It’s time for a spell now no doubt."
