Cox Plate winner Cosmic Crusader will tackle the Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m) at Ascot on Saturday 21 November, with owner Bob Peters confirming the six-year-old gelding will back up from his long Melbourne campaign. He has been given 61kg, the top weight among the nominations for Perth’s premier mile.
Peters’ decision was reported by Just Horse Racing on 15 November. It ends doubt over the start, after The West Australian reported on 10 November that the long trip home and topweight had put the race in question.
The West later reported on 13 November that the gelding had arrived back in Western Australia earlier than expected and was set for the Railway.
A huge spring in Melbourne
Prepared at Pakenham by Andrea Leek, Cosmic Crusader had eight starts in Melbourne between July and November for four wins, including the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes and the Cox Plate, which was run at Flemington this year. He closed his campaign with a second to Birdman in the Group 1 Champions Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on 7 November.
He is now back with Perth trainer Michael Grantham, who prepared him to win last year’s Group 1 Northerly Stakes (1800m).
Read more: Cosmic Crusader Wins Cox Plate for Andrea Leek and William Pike
Chasing history under 61kg
Peters is chasing his seventh Railway Stakes win as an owner, according to Just Horse Racing. The weight brings back memories of Northerly, who won the 2001 Cox Plate as his fourth straight win before finishing 11th under 61.5kg in that year’s Railway Stakes.
Cosmic Crusader also holds nominations for the Northerly Stakes and the Gold Rush later in The Pinnacles series, Racing.com reported.
Pike set to ride despite ban
William Pike, who rode Cosmic Crusader to his Cox Plate win, is set to keep the ride despite a nine-meeting suspension from a ride at Bunbury on 12 November. Pike has chosen to start serving the ban after the Railway, and has appealed against the severity of the penalty in a bid to also ride in the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes at Ascot on Saturday 28 November.
Read more: 2026 Champions Stakes Review: What The Jockeys Said
The rivals waiting in Perth
The Dan Morton-trained King Of Light looms as the main local threat. The four-year-old has won eight of his nine starts and beat Western Empire narrowly in the Group 2 Lee Steere Stakes (1400m) at Ascot on 7 November. Western Empire won the Railway in 2021 and was second in last year’s race.
The Racing and Wagering WA weights released on 9 November also include eastern states nominations such as Tom Kitten, Pericles and Skyhook. Acceptances for the $1.5 million race close on Wednesday 18 November, with the final field and barrier draw to follow.
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