PIKE DECREES QUEEN AT HER BEST

WILLIE Pike has sent his Cox Plate rivals an ominous warning as he declared Arcadia Queen was getting back to her “confident and untouchable” three-year-old days.

The Bob Peters-owned fiveyear-old mare goes into the Cox Plate after a form rejuvenation, capped by toppling Russian Camelot in the Group 1 Caulfield Stakes last start.

Arcadia Queen is reclaiming her throne after being waylaid by feet problems that saw her off the scene after last year’ s Golden Eagle when fifth behind Kolding.

Pike, her regular partner, says she is back to her brilliant best and it is reminiscent of when she took all before her as a three-year-old, including winning the 2018 Group I Kingston Town Stakes in Perth.

“She is getting back to those confident, untouchable threeyear-old days where she was all but unbeaten ,” he said.

“I am not going to say she has got lengths and lengths of improvement up her sleeve, but I think confidence-wise she is getting much better. I think the main issue holding her back was her feet and they seem to be getting and better.

“Ability-wise, when she gallops she is always the best worker out of the lot.

“She is bigger, stronger and better than the others and you can just tell that by riding her.

“She has almost got as printer’s attitude but her record suggests she is better at 2000m.”

The obvious query going into the Cox Plate is the prospect of a wet track.

In her 13 career starts, she has never raced on anything worse than a soft track.

On Friday morning, TAB had Arcadia Queen as a $5.50 chance to surge to Cox Plate glory on Saturday.