2023 PB Lawrence Stakes Results: Cox Plate Hope Mr Brightside Salutes First-Up
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Jockey Brenton Avdulla is aboard a very good horse in the Chipping Norton Stakes 2017 this weekend, but knows he won’t be winning the race with Hartnell up against the freak mare Winx.
Winx has left Hartnell in her wake four times previously including first-up in the Group 2 Apollo Stakes (1400m).
The pair meet for a fifth time this weekend at Royal Randwick Racecourse, the Chris Waller-trained glamour mare Winx set for a 15th consecutive win in the $600,000 Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m).
Coming aboard the other key player in the weight-for-age clash is Avdulla on the John O’Shea-trained Hartnell.
Hartnell is no dummy, the Godolphin-raced import has just come down with a case of the Hay List.
Hay List was a star sprinter that couldn’t win because of a better sprinter – the best sprint – Black Caviar.
History is now repeating itself in the case of Winx vs Hartnell and the record is 5-0 in favour of Waller’s nine-time Group 1 winning daughter of Street Cry.
Avdulla has been called up to partner Hartnell for the first time in the Chipping Norton Stakes, replacing the injured James Doyle.
Any other time and he would be looking down the line at a Group 1 success, but second at best is what he and the rest of the Chipping Norton Stakes contenders will be racing for in the presence of greatness.
Avdulla leads the Sydney riding ranks with 55 metropolitan wins for the season to date and Saturday marks his seventh ride in a Chipping Norton Stakes field, a top three finish so far eluding him.
Aboard the reigning champion Winx is Hugh Bowman who is the best Chipping Norton Stakes jockey in the past 30 years.
Bowman has ridden 13 starters in the race for an impressive four wins, three seconds and a third.
All four of his victories have come in the past six years for Waller on: Danleigh (2011), Shoot Out (2012-13) and of course the mighty Winx (2016) last autumn carnival.
It was a close call for Bowman to continue his gun partnership with $9.49 million earner Winx after he copped a second penalty in four weeks for failing to ride his mount out.
Winx looks even more of a moral second-up on the weekend having come through her Apollo Stakes victory in excellent order according to Waller.
“We weighed her and she’s put on a couple of kilos since the Apollo,” he told AAP.
“So she is holding her racing weight and that’s important. She is fit and our job is to maintain that and keep her going through the preparation and she’s as good as she can be.”
Back Winx to win the Chipping Norton Stakes and check out the odds on Hartnell to score the upset online now at Ladbrokes.com.au.
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