The legendary tale of Winx continues at Royal Randwick on Saturday with Chris Waller’s champion mare dominating the Queen Elizabeth Stakes 2017 odds to become a 12-time Group 1 winner.
It has been two years since 2017 Queen Elizabeth Stakes favourite Winx tasted defeat. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.
What is left to be said about the daughter of Street Cry?
Winx shoots for 17-straight turf triumphs on the weekend as the headliner on Day 2 of ‘The Championships’, rounding out her autumn prep in the $4 million Group 1 Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m).
Hugh Bowman continues his association with the unstoppable five-year-old who was last seen storming home by over seven lengths on a Heavy track for a second win in the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m).
She didn’t defend her Doncaster Mile title, out-weighted from handicap races now, but Winx will be right at home at weight-for-age over 2000m.
The past two Cox Plate trophies in Melbourne during the spring have been hers under those conditions and over that distance and her Randwick record is outstanding with nine wins and three second from 13 starts.
It has been two years since Winx tasted defeat and Saturday marks the second anniversary of that run, a second to Gust Of Wind in the 2015 ATC Oaks.
The last favourite to win the Queen Elizabeth Stakes was another very good mare, the Gai Waterhouse-trained More Joyous, back in 2012.
She jumped at $3.25, but you won’t find Winx at that price in Queen Elizabeth Stakes betting this autumn.
Latest Queen Elizabeth odds on Winx are $1.09 through Ladbrokes.com.au and in a nine-starter field from barrier three, where she’ll likely sit just off them one-out before pulling out the powerful finish, nothing should stop her.
Winx has amassed over $10.4 million in prize money to date and the $2.34 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes winning cheque will see her sit second only to triple Melbourne Cup champ Makybe Diva in the list of all-time prize money winners.
The wet tracks are no longer an issue with Winx showing she was still far too good on a bottomless track last time out, a performance that has even surprised her No. 1 fan Waller.
“I’ve been surprised by how well she’s handled the wet tracks,” he told AAP Racing on Wednesday.
“I always blamed the heavy track for her [Australian] Oaks defeat so it was a worry.
“But she worked well this morning. Hugh Bowman rode her and said she was in the zone.”
The “danger” in the markets at $11 is Hartnell who looked back to his best form when runner-up in the mud behind Our Ivanhowe in the Group 1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) on March 18.
The Godolphin stable and John O’Shea have him as good as they can get, it just won’t be good enough to get close to Winx as Hartnell prepares to go down to Winx for the seventh time.
The other best in betting are The United States ($19) and Happy Clapper ($20) who ran second and third respectively behind Lucia Valentina in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes trifecta last year.
The United States comes off a Ranvet Stakes third, while the Patrick Webster-trained Happy Clapper finished runner-up in the Doncaster Mile last weekend for the second year in a row.
Check out the full Queen Elizabeth Stakes 2017 odds online now at Ladbrokes.com.au and enjoying backing Winx to continue her historic run of form.
