Ascot’s richest sprint is again set to become a battleground between home-ground strength and interstate ambition, with Saturday’s $5 million BYD Quokka offering the locals the chance to defend their turf against a sharp group of raiders flying across the Nullarbor in search of Western Australia’s biggest prize.
Run over 1200 metres at weight-for-age, the Quokka has quickly established itself as a race that demands both class and adaptability, and this year’s field has no shortage of either.
The local brigade has genuine depth, and there is no shortage of horses who know exactly what Ascot sprinting is all about. Rope Them In comes into the race off a timely win in the Roma Cup, where he charged home to edge out Smooth Chino and Oscar’s Fortune, and that result only strengthened his standing as one of the key hopes from the west. Steve Wolfe’s gelding has already proven himself around Ascot, owns strong 1200-metre credentials and looks the sort of horse who can absorb the pressure of a big-race tempo before launching late.
Oscar’s Fortune also gives the locals a serious weapon. Dion Luciani’s sprinter has been a consistent presence in the better short-course races in Perth, winning the Rock Magic first-up before following it with a sound third in the Roma Cup. He has not yet won at 1200 metres, but he has repeatedly shown he belongs in these races and his Ascot record gives him every right to be in the conversation. He is the kind of horse who keeps turning up, keeps giving himself a chance and now gets another crack on the biggest stage in his home state.
Smooth Chino has emerged as one of the more fascinating runners in the race. The lightly raced gelding has built an outstanding record, winning six of his seven starts, and his first-up second in the Roma Cup suggested he has the talent to measure up in open company. He may lack the exposed résumé of some of the more seasoned stars, but his rise has been hard to ignore and the booking of Mark Zahra only adds further interest. If he can reproduce that fresh effort, he could give the locals another genuine reason to believe.
Then there is the established home-state form around horses such as Magnificent Andy, Talkanco and Luana Miss. Magnificent Andy has long been a reliable local performer and gets a soft draw, while Talkanco and Luana Miss bring the three-year-old filly angle and will carry just 54.5 kilograms. Neither has the profile of the main market elects, but both add another layer to a local challenge that is far from one-dimensional.
Still, for all the strength of the west, the eastern states have not come simply to make up the numbers. They are coming for the riches, and they are bringing proper Group 1 form with them. Jigsaw arrives with perhaps the most explosive winning profile in the race, having strung together victories in the McEwen Stakes, Meteorite, Railway Sprint, VOBIS Gold Sprint and most recently the William Reid Stakes. He has built his reputation around speed, aggression and the ability to sustain pressure at a high level, and while barrier 13 is awkward, his racing style ensures there will be no guessing about the plan. He will go forward, make his presence felt and try to break the locals’ hearts.
Caballus also brings heavyweight eastern form. Bjorn Baker’s gelding resumed with a strong second to Joliestar in the Expressway before producing a career-defining victory in the Newmarket Handicap at Flemington. That is elite sprint form, and it makes him one of the obvious threats to the WA defence. He has tactical speed, proven 1200-metre credentials and the sort of profile that says he has come west with a very serious chance of taking the money home.
Rey Magnerio may be an interstate horse on paper, but he is hardly a stranger to Western Australian success. He ran a close third in the Winterbottom before returning to win the Gold Rush at Ascot in December, and that form gives him a slightly different profile from some of the other eastern raiders. He has already handled the trip, he has already succeeded at Ascot and he gets William Pike in the saddle again. That combination alone will make plenty of local punters sit up and take notice.
Spywire and Jedibeel add further depth to the travelling party. Spywire comes off a win in the Discovery at Ballarat and draws ideally in barrier one, while Jedibeel was narrowly beaten in The Galaxy and has enough class to make his presence felt if the race is run to suit. They may not command the same spotlight as Jigsaw or Caballus, but both reinforce just how determined the eastern states challenge is this year.
That is what makes this edition of the Quokka so compelling. The local brigade is not relying on one standout to fend off the raiders. Instead, Western Australia comes armed with a cluster of genuine hopes, horses who know Ascot, know the conditions and know how to perform in the state’s biggest sprint races. Against them stands a powerful eastern assault led by Group 1 winners and proven open-class sprinters prepared to cross the Nullarbor in pursuit of a $2 million first prize.
Whether the west can hold firm or the visitors can pinch the prize, Saturday’s BYD Quokka promises another chapter in the growing interstate rivalry that has helped make the race such a major draw. The locals will back home-track advantage, race familiarity and the depth of their sprinting ranks. The invaders will trust the strength of their elite form and the belief that the riches on offer are worth the long trip west. One way or another, Ascot is set for another sprinting spectacle.
By Scott Bailey
