Western Australia's premier horse racing event, the Group 1 $1.5 million Railway Stakes, is set for a historic moment this weekend as training duo Grant and Alana Williams chase an unprecedented sixth victory in the iconic 1600-metre race.
Top Contenders for Williams Stable
The Williams stable holds a commanding position with the top two favourites for the race. Watch Me Rock ($3.60 favourite) brings impressive form with 10 wins from 18 starts, including three consecutive six-figure purse wins last preparation. The gelding resumed with a strong third in the Eurythmic Stakes before claiming victory in the Asian Beau Stakes by a neck.
With three weeks between runs, Watch Me Rock steps up to the mile distance and has drawn the perfect barrier in gate four. The combination reunites with jockey William Pike, who has ridden all five of the Williams' previous Railway Stakes winners, adding significant confidence to their campaign.
Western Empire Aims for Multiple Victory History
Facing stiff competition from within his own stable, Western Empire ($6.50) represents the Williams' other major hope. The $3 million earner provided the trainer-jockey combination with their most recent Railway success in 2021, storming away from his rivals that year.
Much has changed in the four years since his initial victory with 53kg. Western Empire travelled to Victoria for campaigns with interstate trainers before being purchased for $150,000 by the Williams team to return to WA. If successful, he would become only the third multiple victor of the Railway, joining Tudor Mak (1966, 1967) and Luckygray (2011, 2013).
Even more significantly, Western Empire would be the first horse since Manikato to win the same Australian Group 1 race four years apart, creating racing history beyond the local context.
Weight and History Considerations
The eight-year-old carries the challenging topweight of 58kg, a burden that history suggests is difficult to overcome. Luckygray remains the only horse to win with more than 56.5kg since the introduction of metrics in 1972, and remarkably, the only horse to triumph with more than 53.5kg in the past 15 years.
However, this has been a targeted preparation for Western Empire by his champion conditioners. When resuming in the Lee Steere Stakes on November 8, the veteran was impossibly held up off a slow speed but finished powerfully to secure fifth place, only two lengths behind the winner.
Other Key Contenders in Mix
The Williams stable also presents a valuable third option in four-year-old mare Storyville ($17), who secured her Railway position by winning last week's R J Peters Stakes. Already ballot-exempt after her WA Guineas victory last year, Storyville hits form at the perfect time but faces a challenge from barrier 13.
Fellow local mare Super Smink ($9) also received a poor draw in barrier 15 and must defy a penalty after her Lee Steere Stakes victory, now carrying 56kg as she bids to improve on last year's third placing.
There would be no more popular winner than Comfort Me ($21), the nine-year-old lining up for his fifth and likely final tilt at the big race. The veteran has proven his continuing competitiveness with two placings in the Eurythmic and Lee Steere Stakes in recent weeks.
Interstate invaders Osipenko ($9) and Depth Of Character ($13) face significant challenges from barriers 17 and 20 respectively, though both will shift inward slightly with the likely removal of emergencies.
Eurythmic Stakes winner Diamond Scene ($9) has attracted support after his sharp first-up win, while 2023 Railway victor Bustler ($61) needs to recapture his best form after finishing 13th in last year's edition.
WA Guineas Preview
In the supporting Group 2 $500,000 WA Guineas, King Of Light ($1.85 favourite) has set tongues wagging with an unbeaten four-from-four record, including wins in the Belgravia and Fairetha Stakes at his last two starts. The commanding favourite defeated Heeza Phoenix and Rock Fest by less than a length in the Fairetha, with both horses returning to challenge again.
