William Pike to headline WA Racing Hall of Fame inductions
Champion jockey William Pike will headline this year’s WA Racing Hall of Fame inductees after Racing WA confirmed four new additions ahead of next month’s 2025/26 Thoroughbred Racing Awards.
Pike will be inducted alongside multiple Group 1-winning galloper Black Heart Bart, respected trainer Paddy Ward and influential racing administrator Robert Holmes à Court during the gala awards night at The Ritz-Carlton Perth on August 22.
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The ceremony will also see the winners of the 2025/26 Thoroughbred Racing Awards announced, culminating in the crowning of Western Australia’s Horse of the Year.
Among the finalists for the top honour are standout juvenile Beatty, Group 2 Karrakatta Plate winner Afireofgidgeecoals, talented three-year-olds Talkanco, Playin’it Sweet, Luana Miss and King Of Light, and established stars Western Empire, Watch Me Rock and Cosmic Crusader.
Western Empire enters the awards after another stellar campaign that included victories in the Group 3 Belmont Sprint, Hyperion Stakes and Strickland Stakes, while Watch Me Rock claimed the Group 1 Railway Stakes and Cosmic Crusader captured the Group 1 Northerly Stakes.
The Champion 2YO category features Beatty, winner of the Crystal Slipper, Listed Perth Stakes and Group 3 WA Sires’ Produce Stakes, alongside Karrakatta Plate hero Afireofgidgeecoals.
The Champion 3YO finalists are Talkanco, Playin’it Sweet, Luana Miss and King Of Light, with each enjoying feature-race success throughout the season.
Tickets for the awards night are now on sale, with the event set to celebrate the season’s leading performers while recognising four new Hall of Fame inductees.
