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Champion Perth jockey William Pike will ride the classy three-year-old Graff for Newcastle trainer Kris Lees in the $1.25 million Newmarket Handicap at Flemington on March

Lees’ search for a lightweight jockey to ride Graff ended with Pike,

Graff, an eye-catching first-up fourth to stablemate In Her Time in the Lightning Stakes (1000m) at Flemington last Saturday, is expected to receive no more than 51kg in the Newmarket.

Graff has won three of his seven starts and is equal second favourite in latest Newmarket betting.

Pike has won seven G1 races among more than 2200 wins during his career but he has never ridden a winner in Melbourne, admittedly from limited opportunities.

He has had only 22 mounts in the Melbourne metropolitan area but his record speaks for itself as he has been Australia’s leading jockey by wins for the last three seasons.

Lees said Pike was an easy choice due to his exceptional strike rate in Perth.

“I’ve seen a lot of his rides and he’s a great horseman,” Lees said. “The horse is going to get a light weight and I needed a strong rider like William.

“He was a very good option. 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, who rode Graff in the Lightning Stakes, is too heavy to stick with the colt in the Newmarket.

In Her Time also continues to the Newmarket with Corey Brown retaining the ride on the mare.