Australia’s favourite race horse Winx has kept the Chris Waller Team happy with a pleasing early morning gallop at Rosehill today in preparation for her return to the race track for the 2018 Spring Carnival in the Group 1 $500,000 Winx Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on August 18.
Winx, above, is continuing in her 2018 Spring Carnival preparation in fine style. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Regular rider Hugh Bowman was in the saddle for this morning’s work out and couldn’t fault the record breaking mare as she went through her paces on the grass training track.
“She feels good, she is happy and I rode her this morning, she has come through the trial well,” Bowman told Sky Racing’s Racing HQ.
“I am sure Chris is very happy with her, I am certainly happy with her.”
“There hasn’t been a lot of rain around so the tracks are very Wintery so we are very mindful of that. Just getting her to go through her paces and it will be nice once the Spring weather comes and the tracks will improve and we will be able to let her do a little bit more.”
“At the moment she is ticking over really nicely and looking forward to seeing her stepping out in about three weeks time.”
Winx had her first public appearance since winning the Group 1 $4m Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on day two off The Championships on April 14 when she ran seventh in a 900m barrier trial at Rosehill on July 23 and trainer Chris Waller will give the champion mare one more trial before the Winx Stakes which will be an important step towards chasing a fourth consecutive win in the 2018 Group 1 $5m Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) at The Valley on October 27.
Winx created history when she equalled the legendary Kingston Town’s record of three consecutive Cox Plate victories when she beat the Darren Weir trained Humidor in the 2017 weight for age championship during the Melbourne Spring Carnival.
The 2017 Cox Plate win was one of twenty-five straight wins that Winx has strung together since winning the Group 3 $125,000 Sunshine Coast Guineas (1600m) at the Sunshine Coast during the 2015 Queensland Winter Carnival.
Pre-post betting for the 2018 Cox Plate at Ladbrokes.com.au has Winx as the $1.55 favourite, well ahead of her nearest rival in the market order, Humidor at $15.
Winx’s record
35 starts, 29 wins, 3 seconds, 0 thirds.
18 Group 1 wins.
Total prizemoney earnings: $18,998,424
Early betting for the 2018 Ladbrokes Cox Plate at Ladbrokes.com.au: $1.55 Winx, $15 Humidor, $26 Benbatl, D’Agento, Gailo Chop, Happy Clapper, Roaring Lion, Unforgotten, $31 Accidental Agent, Kementari, Youngstar, Johannes Vermeer, $41 Grunt, Poetic Dream, Poet’s Word, Rekindling, $51 or better the rest.
