A horse bred and owned in Western Australia has won the Cox Plate. Cosmic Crusader, owned by Perth breeder Bob Peters and ridden by WA champion jockey William Pike, won the Group 1 race over 2040 metres at Flemington on Saturday 24 October 2026. He started at $9.50.
The six-year-old gelding was second-last turning for home. He then ran down the field and hit the front about 100 metres from the line. He beat two Chris Waller runners: Birdman ($12) was second and the favourite Aeliana ($4.40) was third.
The win is worth $4 million to the Peters family. It takes Cosmic Crusader's career earnings to almost $7 million, The West Australian reported.
The ride
Pike is usually one of the calmest riders in the country. This time he stood up in the irons and punched the air as he crossed the line. Afterwards he said he had been telling himself not to salute, but the moment got the better of him.
"I don't ever dream of winning these races. I always thought it was too far to reach." — William Pike, jockey
Pike said he had come away from last week a little disappointed. He knew he was a chance at the top of the straight, and the horse was strong all the way to the line.
Nine's coverage of the race called Pike the "Wizard of the West". He also noted that the race may never be run at Flemington again. The Cox Plate is normally held at Moonee Valley, which is closed for redevelopment, so this year's race was moved. That suited Cosmic Crusader. Three weeks ago he won the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes over the same course and distance.
A lifetime of trying for Bob Peters
Peters is one of the biggest owners and breeders in WA racing, and his horses have won plenty of Group 1 races. He had never won a Cox Plate before. He told reporters he had wanted to win it since about 1973, and that he became emotional when he realised it was finally happening.
"This is the biggest win. It's the best race in Australia." — Bob Peters, owner and breeder
Peters said he only started to believe it about 20 metres from the post. He was at Flemington with his grandson Liam, who he said goes to trackwork every morning and to every sale. Back at Ascot, Perth Racing posted that more of the family were watching from the Perth track.
Peters and Pike have worked together since Pike was about 16. Peters said he was glad the jockey had got to win a race he had always wanted.
From the sidelines to the top
Cosmic Crusader almost didn't make it this far. He was injured and missed almost a year of racing, from October 2024 to September 2025, before he had even got out of the lower grades.
He used to be trained in WA. Peters sent him east to Victorian trainer Andrea Leek, who has had a crowded spring. The gelding started favourite in last week's Caulfield Cup over 2400 metres and was beaten. This was his seventh run of the campaign, more than most horses in the race had.
Leek said the horse had improved since Caulfield and the Cox Plate had always been the main aim. "I feel like an impostor," she said of the win.
Why it matters to Perth
WA horses and riders don't often win the east coast's biggest races, and the weight-for-age championship is near the top of that list. On Saturday a horse bred in WA, owned by a Perth family and ridden by Perth's leading jockey beat the best horses Sydney and Melbourne had.
Leek has not said what Cosmic Crusader will run in next.
Photo: Chris Phutully via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0). File photo of a 2014 race meeting at Flemington, not Saturday's Cox Plate.
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