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By Ray Hickson

Tamworth Jockey Club has pulled off a coup by securing William Pike to ride at Sunday’s Newhaven Park Country Championships meeting and while the champion WA jockey says it was a surprise invitation he was only too happy to take it up.

Michael Buckley, general manager of Tamworth Jockey Club, said as soon as it was announced that Pike would be basing himself in Sydney from mid-Febuary he hatched the plan to attract him to the Country Music Capital.

“I didn’t think so much about the Country Championships initially but moreso the Tamworth Cup,’’ Buckley said.

“I was hoping the Tamworth race would be particularly strong and there’d be a chance we’d see a few Sydney jocks come out.

William Pike will be in action at Tamworth's Country Championships meeting on Sunday. (Pic: Steve Hart)

“Knowing 'the Country Championships was a Sunday meeting and the popularity of William Pike I thought it would be a great opportunity for the people of the area to see a jockey like him in action and also from a wagering perspective as well.”

Pike, known to punters as ‘the Wizard’, has won 15 Group 1s and is closing on 3000 career wins plus he holds the Australian record for winners in a season of 239 set in 2019/20.

He rode his first Sydney Saturday winner last weekend on Shelby Sixtysix in the TAB Highway and he said establishing himself in NSW is going to take time and riding at a prominent country meeting like this is a part of that aim.

“It’s nice to be asked, I have a couple of friends out that way I thought I’d go visit while I’m there,’’ he said.

It’s likely he will ride for leading Tamworth trainer Cody Morgan, who will have multiple runners including nominal favourite Edit, in the $150,000 Newhaven Park Hunter & North West Country Championships (1400m) and it’s a concept the jockey said he finds quite remarkable.

“I haven’t seen that sort of money thrown at these sorts of races before but I know the Final is pretty big and my job is to try to get the horse into the Final for the connections and for myself,'' Pike said.

“I’ve been asked to come do a job and I want to try and get it done.

“A winner on Saturday was very nice, a winner in town keeps you happy and that went a long way to making me feel more comfortable.

“I’m new and I’m starting so any connection I can make is good, and I’ll try to make as many as I can. You never know where your next horse will come from.”

Buckley said having a headline jockey like Pike at the Country Championships meeting is huge for country clubs – he points to Hugh Bowman regularly makes the trip to Mudgee, as he did once again just last weekend where he rode a winner.

He hopes Pike will return for the Tamworth Cup meeting on April 22.

“It’s big for clubs. The fact Pikey has such a cult following is massive for us,’’ Buckley said.

“We are looking to appeal to that demographic of younger people in racing and he’s the headline act for that.

“I think there are opportunities for people in NSW to capitalise on him being around to engage people and make sure that next generation is interested in racing.”

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