Trainer John O’Shea believes a likely rain-affected Randwick track for the 2017 Apollo Stakes in Sydney on Saturday will help the team’s galloper Hartnell close the gap on the world’s best horse Winx.

Winx has defeated the Godolphin-raced import four times to date by a combined margin of over 26 lengths.

Far from shying away from the imposing challenge of facing the record breaking mare, O’Shea has Hartnell racing first-up in another rematch with Chris Waller’s superstar in the $250,000 Group 2 Apollo Stakes (1400m).

The Apollo Stakes field is down from the original 14 final acceptors to a dozen after the early scratching of the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained duo of Global Glamour (1) and Savvy Nature (4).

The removals see Authorized six-year-old Hartnell come in from barrier seven to five, while Winx will chase her 14^th consecutive turf triumph from barrier two with Hugh Bowman aboard the nine-time Group 1 champion once again.

James Doyle is on Hartnell who was last seen running third in the Melbourne Cup trifecta last November on the back of his distant second to Winx in the Cox Plate when the mare won the weight-for-age feature for the second time by a record eight lengths.

On Wednesday the course proper at Royal Randwick was rated a Heavy (9) and it should still have plenty of give in it come the Apollo Stakes.

Hartnell is a gun performer on Soft (8-4-1-0) and Heavy (3-1-1-1) going, but so too is the versatile Winx.

Still, O’Shea is looking for all of the silver linings he can and was impressed with the two-time Group 1 winner’s lead-up work.

“He’s come back in great shape, I couldn’t be happier with his attitude and his fitness level,” O’Shea told The Daily Telegraph.

“We’re looking forward to a good, positive day. It’s likely that the track will be rain-affected, which will be good for him.

“His trial was what we wanted, he’s come along nicely since then.”

The latest Apollo Stakes betting markets at Ladbrokes.com.au have Winx at $1.14 and firming, while Hartnell is at $9.50 to provide what would be one of racing history’s biggest upsets.

The last time the two met over 1400m was when Hartnell ran 3.5 lengths away second in the Group 2 Warwick Stakes in August last year.

Winx hasn’t been defeated since April of 2015 and that doesn’t look like it will change come the Apollo Stakes results on the weekend.

Second-up both multi-million dollar earners are heading into the $600,000 Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) over the Randwick mile on February 25.

Winx won that race last year on the back of an Apollo Stakes success, while Hartnell ran 4.7 lengths back fifth first-up to her.

Their grand final is then the $4 million Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) on April 8 during The Championships.

“From here he goes to the Chipping Norton in two weeks and then the Ranvet and the Queen Elizabeth,” O’Shea confirmed.

The $700,000 Group 1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill Gardens on Golden Slipper Day, March 18, shapes-up as Hartnell’s only chance to post an autumn win in a Winx-less field.

To back Winx at $1.80 to win the Apollo Stakes visit Ladbrokes.com.au today (Max Bet $25 / T&Cs apply).