Victorian raider Rey Magnerio delivered a career-best performance to win the Group 3 $1.5 million Gold Rush (1400m) at Ascot on December 13, 2025, providing a thrilling finale to The Pinnacles carnival.
The Robbie Griffiths-trained gelding, ridden by William Pike, stepped up to 1400m for the first time and handled the distance expertly.
Settling in the perfect one-one position behind the leader, Rey Magnerio ($29 in some markets) loomed ominously in the straight, collared the front-runner inside the final 50m, and held off a fast-finishing Cosmic Crusader (Clint Johnston-Porter) by 0.4 lengths.
The Bjorn Baker-trained favourite Overpass ($4.80), with Josh Parr aboard, led boldly but finished a gallant third, beaten by less than half a length.
Overpass, a dual Group 1 winner and champion sprinter with career earnings exceeding $12 million, once again displayed his trademark toughness.
The speed machine set a searching tempo from the front, refusing to yield easily despite being headed late.
His iron-hearted effort salvaged a podium finish over the testing 1400m trip, earning admiration from many, including winning trainer Griffiths, who post-race called Overpass “such a great horse” and noted that “when he kicked, to think you could get past him is something special.”
For Overpass’s proud Cootamundra connections—including local owners like Craig McTavish and Gerard ‘Sarge’ Piffero—this was another moment of pride.
The small-town Riverina heroes have cheered their star through multiple Group 1 triumphs, including back-to-back Quokka wins and Winterbottom Stakes victories.
Watching him battle gamely in Perth would have had the faithful back home roaring.
Rey Magnerio’s victory boosted his record to 10 wins from 26 starts, pushing prizemoney beyond $2.08 million. Griffiths was ecstatic: “I’ve lost my voice a bit, but oh mate, what a horse. What fun he’s been for all of us. He has a crack… Very proud.”
The late decision to stay in WA after a strong third in the Winterbottom Stakes proved inspired, with foreman Reid Balfour praised for keeping the Magnus gelding fresh.
Griffiths has now targeted the $5 million Quokka in April 2026—ironically, a race Overpass has dominated in recent years.
However, not everyone viewed Overpass’s performance as purely gallant.
Prominent trainer Wayne Hawkes launched a scathing attack on Josh Parr’s ride, labelling it a “shocker” on SENTrack & RSN’s Giddy Up.
“Josh Parr, are you serious? You’re kidding, aren’t you? You’re fair dinkum kidding. It just should have won,” Hawkes fumed.
He argued Parr went too hard too early, booting Overpass aggressively from the gates and cranking up the pace prematurely, which allowed Pike to slot Rey Magnerio into the ideal trail and ultimately set up the race for the chasers.
“Why boot out of the gates as he did? He set it up for the winner… He’s using juice,” Hawkes said, adding that Overpass over-raced and expended unnecessary energy.
“He comes around the home corner and rahhhh, into him again… but he didn’t need to go. It was a shocker. I would have been horrified.
“Hawkes speculated that if Pike (“the Wizard”) had ridden any of the top three, they would have won, and suggested Parr should have eased around the turn before dashing: “If he just helped him around the corner and counted one, two, three, four, five and then let him go, he wins.”
He admitted uncertainty about Baker’s instructions—“It’s either one or the other: the instructions were wrong, or he got it wrong”—but insisted the ride cost Overpass victory, comparing it unfavourably to how a lesser jockey in a midweek race would be pilloried.
Hawkes is known for his blunt jockey critiques, having previously criticised James McDonald’s ride on Romantic Warrior (second in a $20m G1 in Saudi Arabia), prompting McDonald to retort that Hawkes should “take whatever Wayne says with a pinch of salt.”
Parr, who shares a strong partnership with Overpass, is unlikely to respond publicly, with his success on the horse speaking volumes.
The Gold Rush delivered drama on and off the track: a tough Victorian winner in Rey Magnerio, huge admiration for the evergreen Overpass and his country connections, but sharp debate over whether a tactical misjudgement denied the champion sprinter what many—including Hawkes—believe should have been another feature win.
– Tully Potts
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