On Track - Spring 2020 Edition

22 By Jay Rooney In more than 40 years in racing, leading WA owner and breeder Bob Peters has achieved more than most can dream of in a lifetime. But if you ask the astute man which race he wants to win the most, it is the $5 million Group 1 Ladbrokes Cox Plate. In 2020, that dream could well become a reality, with Peters sending his biggest equine star, Arcadia Queen, to Victoria for the spring. “Anyone involved in racing would want to win a Cox Plate,” Peters says. “It’s probably the truest test, being weight- for-age at that distance, and the best race in Australia.” Arcadia Queen headlines Peters and his wife Sandra’s incredible assault on the Melbourne spring carnival this year. Their rising stars Superstorm and Windstorm, two potential Cox Plate contenders of the future, and quality mare Perfect Jewel were also sent over with co-trainer Grant Williams and champion jockey William Pike. Arcadia Queen, and All-Star Mile winner Regal Power, are prime examples of why Peters is considered one of the best breeders in Australia. Regal Power was destined to have a big impact on this year’s Melbourne Spring Carnival before succumbing to a lung infection and has since returned to Western Australia to recover. Peters’ success on the track has been driven by developing families over decades with regally-bred fillies and mares. “Arcadia Queen and Regal Power are sister and brother in blood,” Peters says. “We raced their grandmother, Antique, and we raced their dams, Arcadia and Broadway Belle, who are sisters. Arcadia Queen burst on the scene in 2018 with five brilliant victories in her home state – none better than her breathtaking win in the Group 1 Kingston Town Classic at Ascot, when she thrashed the older horses as an inexperienced three-year-old. The outstanding daughter of Pierro was the talk of Australian racing again the following year when she won the Group 2 Theo Marks Stakes at Rosehill under the guidance of new trainer Chris Waller. Local star Arcadia Queen William Pike and Grant Williams celebrate the All-Star Mile PETERS PREPARES FOR WA ASSAULT