Apprentice Ben Allen agrees with the bookies at Ladbrokes.com.au that the locally trained mare Galaxy Star is the horse to beat in the 2018 Group 1 $1m Kirin Railway Stakes (1600m) at Ascot in Perth on Saturday.
Ben Allen rides Peaceful State, above, in the 2018 Railway Stakes at Ascot in Perth. Photo by Jenny Barnes.
Ladbrokes.com.au have the Grant and Alana Williams trained Galaxy Star marked as the $3.30 favourite for the Railway Stakes while Allen’s mount Peaceful State is the second pick at $5.
“The main one to beat is Galaxy Star so if it gets a good run it looks like it will be pretty hard to beat,” Allen told racing.com.
Perth’s leading jockey William Pike has been aboard Galaxy Star as she worked her way up through the grades and gets the ride again in the Railway Stakes after the pair combined for a last start win in the Group 3 $150,000 South African Airways Asian Beau Stakes (1400m) at Ascot in Perth on November 3.
Galaxy Star has drawn barrier two in the fifteen horse Railway Stakes field while the Darren Weir trained Peaceful State has also drawn in close at gate four.
Both horses are set to have good runs in amongst the field and Allen said that would be able to keep Galaxy Star in his sights from the jump.
“I was happy with the gate (for Peaceful State) and I was happy to see that the favourite (Galaxy Star) has drawn in so it will need a pretty good ride from William Pike to get through,” Allen said.
“Hopefully we settle thereabouts around that horse and then it’s just about getting a cart into the race really.”
“If the race is run at a good tempo to suit us, I’d say we’ll be finishing quite strong and we’ll be right up there next to it.”
Peaceful State is coming off a last start third, with Allen in the saddle, to Best Of Days in the Group 1 $1m Kennedy Mile (1600m) at Flemington on November 3 and the young jockey said that he was pleased with the result after having an interrupted run in the straight.
“He ran super last start and he probably would have finished closer if he just didn’t have to get into a bit of that bumping at the top of the straight,” Allen said.
“He still finished it off well and the horse couldn’t be going any better so I’m looking forward to riding him.”
Weir will also saddle up Iconoclasm ($9.50) who has drawn barrier twelve with Craig Williams to ride while Grand and Alana Williams have Action ($14) from barrier fifteen with Patrick Carbery on top and Perfect Jewel ($31) from barrier seven for Craig Newitt.
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