Perth Cup winner back with a bang in Lee Steere Stakes, shocking rivals with a paralysing late sprint to win

This year’s Perth Cup champion Casino Seventeen produced a freakish first-up flurry, flying to victory over several highly touted middle-distance horses to claim the $300,000 Group 2 Lee Steere Stakes (1400m) at Ascot. The seven-year-old, whose best form has been at 2000m and beyond, had trialled twice and finished down the track at Lark Hill in the lead-up to Saturday’s assignment. However, with the blinkers attached on raceday, the $1.4 million earner was a different beast. The son of Casino Prince was not deserted by punters, backed from $51 into $19 on TABtouch, but predictably found himself back near the tail over the short trip as well backed favourite Comfort Me ($3.70) made the pace. Working by the 1000m and with the tempo steadying, Casino Seventeen carried his head proudly in the air, though still remained in second last place and three wide. 600m out, the tempo clapped on as Comfort Me was pressed by Valour Road ($9), with slow-starter Magnificent Andy ($4.60) climbing over their backs as the field turned in. Jockey William Pike now found himself between runners and attempting to thread a way through and eventually got to the outside with only 200m to go. Giving the leaders at least four lengths and more than a length behind Bustler ($11), he and last year’s Railway Stakes winner made their runs in unison. As Magnificent Andy reached the lead 100m out, he was swamped by the two ‘big race’ winners, with Bustler momentarily reaching the front before Casino Seventeen moved to challenge. With a surprisingly sharp and irresistible sprint, Casino Seventeen steamed to the lead in the shadows of the post, scoring by almost a neck from Bustler. Co-trainer Grant Williams said the $1.5 million Railway Stakes in two weeks would be the horse’s next run out of necessity. “He’s just an old warhorse. He looks a bit too round, he’s bouncing around like he’s a three-year-old,” Williams said. “It’s funny, I said to Willie, just ride him like a 25/1 pop and take the gaps. “He goes, ‘I haven’t been able to take a gap all day’ and I went ‘yeah I know, I’m working on the odds you’ll get one’. “When he’s going good, he seems to reef a little bit and he’s a little bit hard to settle, and he was doing that, so obviously he’s feeling good. “With the tempo and being so far back, I thought we were going to run home and it would be a nice third or fourth, but hopefully that gets the little fella (Pike) back into a bit of form. “We were going to go to the Railway - he’s going to get some weight - but where else do you go with these horses? “He carries weight but he needs it for fitness runs to go into the next one, so we’ll go there. Winning rider William Pike admitted the day hadn’t gone as he’d hoped, but the victory lifted his spirits and had surprisingly proved his own judgement wrong. “I don’t know how today has panned out for me - it’s panned out horribly until that one,” Pike said. “You’re only as good as your last ride and, right now, I’m feeling good. “When they brought him back into work this time around I was like geez, really? Isn’t he on his mark? I don’t know... lucky I’m a jockey, not a trainer..” Earlier, tremendous tyro September Born elevated his valuable stocks only further with a stylish display in the Fairetha Stakes. Poised on the turn, hoop Brad Parnham let the imperious youngster loose and he expressed star quality to score from a valiant Exceed The Planet. Following the success, he shortened to $2.25 for the WA Guineas and $4.20 for the Northerly Stakes.