Watch Me Rock pips Fluro Neuro for third consecutive time, taking $100,000 Good Friday feature at Ascot

Watch Me Rock brought up a winning hat-trick in the $100,000 Good Friday Stakes (1800m) at Ascot, chinning courageous stablemate Fluro Neuro for the third consecutive time. With Iowa ($10 TABtouch) pouncing on the early lead, William Pike tucked Watch Me Rock ($2f) behind the pace following Fluro Neuro ($3.80) in the early stages of Friday’s clash. With 800m remaining, Iowa tried to exploit his staying qualities and stretched the stamina of his rivals, forcing Pike to niggle away at Watch Me Rock in his first attempt at a race beyond a mile in distance. Approaching the turn, Fluro Neuro had breezed to join issue with Iowa and now Watch Me Rock, who had regathered the bridle, slid to the outside. At the 200m, Pike sprung into action to challenge Fluro Neuro and despite a furious war, finally gained the ascendancy inside the final 50m to beat his counterpart by a head, making it the third time in as many runs he had beaten him by that margin or less. Memory Parade ($12), who was badly held up until the 100m mark, flashed to be a close-up third and unlucky loser. Grant and Alana Williams’ stable representative Jaz McAuliffe said removing the blinkers and replacing them with the less oppressive visors had the desired effect. “He showed that the 1800m wasn’t a problem for him today,” she said. “We also had a gear change with the visors and that seemed to help as well. I noticed his ears weren’t flopping around and he was concentrating this time. “Based on his recent runs, you could see he had that bit more in him but just wasn’t giving it. It looked like that helped improve him a little bit today.” Pike lauded the winner’s constitution, saying a newfound competitive spirit got him home. “He never wins by a big margin – that’s not him – but I thought we saw a different side of him today,” he said. “I don’t think he pulled up. I think he showed some grit, and he was out on his feet a long way from home, but he toughed it out. The previous version of him would’ve got beaten then, so I thought it was a nice effort. “I’ve never had a lot of luck with visors, but we won in them then, so I might be converted.” Pike said he thought with a break and further maturation, Watch Me Rock could contend for a place in the Railway and Northerly Stakes later this year. Pike, who was won 11 of the last 19 WATC Derbys, will again combine with the Williams stable aboard Funchal in Saturday’s $400,000 Group 2 feature. Funchal ($5) has been comprehensively beaten by Machine Gun Gracie ($1.60f) in the Natasha Stakes and WA Oaks but has shown aptitude for staying distances. Team Williams have won nine of the last 14 editions of the race, accompanied by Pike in all but one (Mystic Prince, 2013).