William Pike (jockey)

Last updated

William Pike
Personal information
Nickname(s)
The Wizard, Willie
NationalityAustralian
Born (1986-03-20) 20 March 1986 (age 39)
Occupation Jockey
Height148 cm (4 ft 10 in)
Weight51 kg (112 lb)
Horse racing career
SportHorse racing
Career wins3,537
Major racing wins
All-Star Mile
Caulfield Guineas
Caulfield Stakes
Railway Stakes
Winterbottom Stakes
Kingston Town Classic

William Pike is an Australian Thoroughbred racing jockey. Having spent most of his career racing in his home state of Western Australia, Pike is widely considered to be the state's leading jockey. [1] He is nicknamed "The Wizard" due to his ability to produce winning rides. [2] Pike's great-great grandfather, Jim Pike, was also a jockey, best known for riding the legendary Phar Lap to victory in the 1930 Melbourne Cup. [3]

Contents

Early life

Pike was born in Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Western Australia, and grew up in the small country town of Coolgardie. [2] His first race was at Esperance racecourse on 3 March 2002, [3] and his first win was in Norseman the following week.

Racing career

Pike has won more than 3,000 horse races across his career, with over 100 of those wins being in Group races. His first Group 1 win was the WATC Derby in 2006, aboard Cats Fun. [4] He has won virtually every major race in Perth, [5] including four Perth Cups, [6] four Railway Stakes, [7] three Winterbottom Stakes, [8] and the Kingston Town Classic twice [9] (although he is yet to win the Northerly Stakes, previously known as the Kingston Town Classic).

In Melbourne, he has previously won the Caulfield Guineas (aboard Ole Kirk), [10] the Caulfield Stakes, [11] the All-Star Mile, [12] the William Reid Stakes, and the Oakleigh Plate. [13] [14]

Notable wins

Some of his most notable Group wins include:

Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia

Perth

Melbourne

Brisbane

Sydney

Flag of Hong Kong.svg  Hong Kong

Notes

  1. ↑ Pike has won the WATC Derby 11 times, but only three of which were during Group 1 status.

References

  1. ↑ Hatton, Jett (10 December 2024). "WA jockey William Pike breaks wrist after falling off e-scooter". Herald Sun .
  2. 1 2 Mennell, Jason (5 October 2019). "How Coolgardie boy William Pike became WA horse racing's wizard". Kalgoorlie Miner .
  3. 1 2 Harvey, Neale (4 October 2023). "Pike's brilliant career built from humble beginnings in 2002". Kalgoorlie Miner .
  4. ↑ Rooney, Jay (12 November 2011). "Wizard's riding high". The West Australian .
  5. ↑ Santarelli, Julio (2 September 2025). "What makes Pikey tick?". Racing.com . Retrieved 4 November 2025.
  6. ↑ Cosgriff, Darcy (2 January 2024). "Pike wins fourth Perth Cup". Racing.com .
  7. ↑ Waters, Brad (15 November 2022). "Champion WA jockey William Pike chasing fifth consecutive Railway Stakes win". Herald Sun .
  8. ↑ Rooney, Jay (27 November 2021). "History beckons for WA racing's dream team after Graceful Girl's Winterbottom Stakes win at Ascot". The West Australian .
  9. ↑ Payne, Clinton (5 December 2024). "'Little hungry and little angry': Pike drops to 50kg for Northerly bid". Racenet.
  10. ↑ Ractliffe, Damien (10 October 2020). "Pike and Ole Kirk stamp their class in Guineas triumph". 1116 SEN .
  11. ↑ Rooney, Jay (10 October 2020). "Star WA mare Arcadia Queen dethrones Russian Camelot with upset win in Group 1 Caulfield Stakes". The West Australian .
  12. ↑ Ractliffe, Damien (14 March 2020). "Coin toss scores Pike the $5 million All-Star Mile". The Sydney Morning Herald .
  13. ↑ Ractliffe, Damien (19 March 2021). "Masked Crusader powers to dashing William Reid victory". The Sydney Morning Herald .
  14. ↑ Di Iorio, Carl (20 February 2021). "Oakleigh Plate dead heat". Racing.com .
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