Equine superstar Winx has missed the start but still managed to win the Group 2 Warwick Stakes (1400m) after mustering a turn of foot for the ages at Royal Randwick this afternoon.

Winx flew home late to beat Foxplay on the line in the Group 2 Warwick Stakes this afternoon. Photo: Steve Hart

Winx stood in the barriers and gave her rivals a start of around five or six lengths and jockey Hugh Bowman was subsequently forced to take a position at the tail of the field as Ecuador dictated the early terms.

Rounding onto the final straight wide and with plenty to do, the Street Cry mare appeared down and out as stable mate Foxplay charged clear, but typically she managed to piece together a moment of brilliance and let down on the outside of the field; hitting the line a nose in the clear of Foxplay; Ecuador boxing on well for third.

Chris Waller conceded that the champion mare’s winning streak appeared over with only 300m to run, but was impressed by her ability to overcome the tough run.

“It’s out of my hands, when you put Hugh Bowman on board and I think that’s a big part in her success, the team behind Winx,” Waller said.

“Hugh never panics and when you put the reins in his hands, you know you’ve got the right man for it.

“He realised he had a bit of ground to make up and he used the full length of the straight to do it, instead of panicking at the 300m mark.

“She’s (Foxplay) had everything that Winx has had in the last 16 weeks. They went out to spell together, they spelled at the same property, same pre-training, same trials.

“I’d say she’ll be back here in two weeks (Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes). She’s just come back that little bit bigger and a bit of extra racing won’t hurt her.”

Bowman delivered a gem of a ride aboard Winx to pull off the incredible Warwick Stakes win and was pleased with what the mare was able to do in finding the line.

“I was a bit worried going past the 700m because of how the track conditions are – they’re running really slick time,” Bowman said.

“I was thinking that it could be mathematically possible to catch them, but there was nothing I could do about that, I just had to rely on the engine that I know is in her.

“I just had confidence in her to run her race. After what happened in the barriers I had to renegotiate where I was obviously and it was a concern, but it was a good feeling that last 200m.

“She’s just so much better than them and I had to rely on that to win the race.”

Winx has now extended her incredible winning streak to eighteen-consecutive races and is on track for her third-consecutive Ladbrokes Cox Plate.