News

Magic man Williams shines again to paint the town pink

23rd Oct 2011

The Age - Craig Young - Sunday, 23 October 2011

GLOBAL traveller Craig Williams combined with a former Australian Olympic equestrian rider in Greg Eurell to claim a deflating Cox Plate with Pinker Pinker at Moonee Valley yesterday.

The victory was soured when the New Zealand galloper Lion Tamer, which raced away with last year's Victoria Derby, had to be put down after breaking a leg.

Darley Stud's record-breaking Caulfield Guineas winner Helmet was backed as if unbeatable when firming from $3.40 to $2.80 favourite but the three-year-old couldn't match it with the heavyweights.

Pinker Pinker's stunning victory over the New Zealand champion Jimmy Choux was aided by a brilliant ride from Williams, who has been in devastating form with the winning streak not likely to end soon. Eurell found Pinker Pinker in a yearling sale and parted with $120,000 to buy her. She is only the ninth mare to win the Cox Plate.

''The moment has really got to me, a great experience,'' Eurell said. ''I spoke to Craig last night. As he usually has … Craig had it worked to the minute what he had to to. I was very, very happy going into this race this morning. She had absolutely nothing go wrong, she had the perfect preparation.''

Williams won the Cox Plate on Fields Of Omagh in 2006 and rode a brilliant race to claim a first Caulfield Cup on Southern Speed last Saturday.

Through the week he partnered the French raider Dunaden to victory in the Geelong Cup with the pair bearing down on the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday week.

''A great thrill,'' Williams said of the Pinker Pinker victory. ''You've seen some champion races today, champion horses.''

Williams made reference to the world's best sprinter Black Caviar, the Victoria Derby favourite Manawanui and last year's Melbourne Cup winner Americain, which was a devastating winner of the Drake International Cup.

''Pinker Pinker deserves to win the race,'' Williams said. ''She was great. I got into a nice position. When the run presented itself, I just asked her to be brave and game, I gritted my eyes, she was just awesome today. This is the time of year, everyone has worked very hard to get the result.''

For the Jimmy Choux team of trainer John Bary and jockey Jonathan Riddell, the defeat was taken in a sporting manner. ''I thought at the 200m we had it,'' Bary said. ''That's why it is the best weight-for-age race in the world, you are never home, Jonathan couldn't have ridden him any better.''

Riddell was all but in tears when stepping off the scales after weighing in. ''He has run super,'' Riddell said. ''You just get to the front and hope in those situations … hope wasn't enough.''

Jockey Dwayne Dunn returned with a hard luck tale on Rekindled Interest, which ran third. ''The breaks didn't come when we needed them to but he was very brave,'' Dunn said.

Fellow jockey Hugh Bowman was devastated to lose Lion Tamer. ''He just didn't feel right when I was pulling up and it [leg] just went when I was cantering back,'' Bowman said.

Helmet was set to become the 19th three-year-old to win the Cox Plate and the 18th colt or gelding with the lone filly to win being the champion Surround in 1976. Helmet failed to join Red Anchor (1984), Surround (1976), Rajah Sahib (1968) and Star Affair (1965) as winners of the Caulfield Guineas-Cox Plate double.

In the famous race's rich history, 20 three-year-olds have started favourite in the Cox Plate and only three won. They were Red Anchor (8-11, 1984), Rajah Sahib (7-4, 1968) and Manfred (4-5, 1925).