The $200 000 Group 3 Eurythmic Stakes, which will be contested over 1400m at Ascot on Saturday, could already provide an epic clash between star performers of different generations, even though the buildup to the summer riches spectacular that is the Pinnacles Racing Carnival … which runs from November 14 to December 12 offering close to $11 million in prizemoney … is only just warming up.
The twelve month suspension of co-trainers Grant and Alana Williams … the length of penalty is being appealed … meant that the horses under their care had to be relocated and so it has come about that two top tier horses who were formerly in the Williams stable … Western Empire and Watch Me Rock … will be sent out by trainer Jason Pateman in the Eurythmic on Saturday.
And what performers they have been!
Western Empire, as a nine-year-old, will represent to (much) older generation … but any thoughts about fading ability as an older horse have been well and truly laid to rest by a hot spot of form late in his eight-year-old campaign when he dominated the Group 3 feature races at Belmont, winning the Belmont Sprint (over 1400m), the Hyperion (over 1600m) and the Strickland (over 2000m) to take his record to fourteen wins from thirty-eight starts.
Not many runners kick off their nine-year-old season looking for four wins in a row.
The stable companion, the three year younger Watch Me Rock, who represents the six-year-old generation, can claim an equally impressive record with eleven wins from twenty-two starts. His hot spot came when he scored impressive back-to-back wins in November 2025 … in the Group 3 Asian Beau (over 1400m) before striking Group 1 Gold with a fine victory in the Railway Stakes (over 1600m) in which he beat Western Empire, who finished second, by 0.75 lengths when he carried 4kg less than the runner-up.
Watch Me Rock then beat Western Empire a second time in the Group1 Northerly (at level weights), but these two runners had to settle for second and third place on that occasion behind no less a luminary than Cosmic Crusader …who won the Group 1 Turnbull at Flemington last week.
Watch Me Rock finished unplaced in his two starts since then … but both of those were ‘away games’ in Group 1 company in the Futurity Stakes and in the All Star Mile in Victoria. He, in fact, finished tailed off in the All Star Mile where, according to the steward’s report, ‘a post-race veterinary examination revealed cardiac arrhythmia for the first time.’ He has since satisfied all the requirements to be able to return to racing.
Western Empire and Watch Me Rock will both be resuming after time away from race action … Western Empire was out for four months … Watch Me Rock for seven months. Both have won first-up, but both have better second-up records.
They will meet at level weights on Saturday, and their clash already makes this a keen contest.
Drop lower down age scale and you will find a four-year-old with exceptional record champing at the bit.
King Of Light might be short of race experience compared to the Jason Pateman runners, but he can boast that he has only been beaten once in seven starts, having won all the way up to Group 2 company when taking out the WA Guineas in November 2025.
His unbeaten, five race winning sequence came to an end when he finished down the field in the Group 1 Northerly on December 6. He was given a break after that.
The Daniel Morton trained runner resumed with a confident win in the Listed Idyllic Prince Stakes over 1300m at Belmont on August 22 … a nice run to have under his belt as he moves forward in this preparation.
While there are eight other contenders set to face the starter, Western Empire, Watch Me Rock and King Of Light are the easily the best credentialled trio in the lineup and they will grab the bulk of the attention.
King Of Light is the current race favourite at $2.25. Western Empire is $5. Watch Me Rock is a $6.50 chance.
Jason Lyon will ride Western Empire for the first time. Willie Pike was in the saddle for the gelding’s last three starts).
Brad Parnham is the new rider for Watch Me Rock. Willie Pike rode the gelding in fifteen of his last sixteen starts, while Lucy Fiore picks up the ride on King Of Light (who has been ridden by Willie Pike in all seven career starts).
Where’s Willie you may well ask!
He’ll be across the country riding the mighty Cosmic Crusader in the $6.5 million Caulfield Cup.
You can be sure that a large section of the Western Australian racing community will be watching that race and hoping to cheer Cosmic Crusader home … just as Pike is likely to be keeping an eye on the Eurythmic Stakes back home focussing on the three horses he is likely to reunite with in the coming summer season in Perth.
