NEWCASTLE: Friday, February 22, 2019: PERTH’S star jockey Willie Pike has been given the opportunity to break his Melbourne “duck” with a Newmarket Handicap booking for Graff.

It will be Pike’s first ride in Melbourne’s autumn feature Group 1 sprint, which carries a $1.25m purse and will be run on the straight 1200m course at Flemington on March 9.

In confirming the booking for his exciting three-year-old, Kris Lees today explained the reasoning behind the decision.

“Graff ‘s last five starts have either been at set weights and penalties or weight-for-age,” he said.

“He is returning to a handicap, and our understanding is that he is going to get around 50.5kg, so we had to look for a suitable jockey who could ride at that weight.

“Graff’s owner Alan Bell and myself discussed it, and we decided to offer Willie the Newmarket ride.

“He hasn’t ridden a lot in Melbourne, but can hold his own anywhere and rode against the best jockeys in the world in Hong Kong a few years back.”

Tommy Berry rode Graff in the colt’s excellent first-up fourth to stablemate In Her Time in the Group 1 wfa Lightning Stakes (1000m) at Flemington last Saturday.

In Her Time also continues on to the Newmarket, and regular partner Corey Brown sticks with her.

Pike, 32, has ridden more than 2200 winners, but is yet to ride a winner (he has finished second twice) from only 22 mounts in the Melbourne metropolitan area.