WILLIE’S SPECIAL CLASSIC VICTORY
ARCADIA Queen stamped herself the best horse in the west and also potentially Australia’s best three-year-old filly with an easy 4½ lengths romp to win the Kingston Town Classic (1800m).
Her leviathan owner Bob Peters recorded his fifth win in the race.
Arcadia Queen cruised up to Trap For Fools and left him and her other rivals in her wake over the final 250m.
The veteran owner isn’t prone to big statements but said: “She’s a bit special.”
Arcadia Queen was ridden by champion Perth jockey Willie Pike who said he couldn’t believe how easily the filly cruised up to them.
“I was checking over my shoulder – I got there so easily. Once I let her go – what a beautiful horse,” Pike said.
Peters said he thought she could be the best of his Kings- ton Town Classic winners, which surprised him as he didn’t think he could have a horse better than Old Comrade who won the race twice.
“I think that was the best of my five wins in the race. She won the race as a three-yearold as Old Comrade did and he came back next year and won it and she could do that too,” he said.
Peters said it was unusual for one of his horses in her first preparation to have six runs.
Arcadia Queen began her career on September 19 with a win at Belmont.
“I’d prefer not to have raced her as much but she’s done the job,” he said.
Peters said there were several options next year for Arcadia Queen, with the new $7.5 million event The Golden Eagle at Rosehill and the Cox Plate up for consideration.
Peters though said going to Sydney might prove to be a better option instead of Melbourne because Regu-Mate wasn’t banned.
“They tell me you can use Regu-Mate in Sydney. That would make the decision a bit easier,” he said.
Peters said Arcadia Queen wouldn’t run at either of the Melbourne or Sydney autumn carnivals as he’d backed up horses before after the Perth carnival and it had failed.