Australia’s number one race horse Winx plus five of her stablemates are among the nominations for the  Group 1 $500,000 Winx Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on Saturday.

Winx, above, has been nominated for the 2018 Winx Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

Saturday’s weight for age contest has been renamed the Winx Stakes and elevated to Group 1 status in honour of the headline mare who had won the previous two runnings of the event which was run as the Group 2 Warwick Stakes.

The six Chris Waller trained horses that are among the thirteen nominations for the Winx Stakes are Winx, D’Argento, Libran, Religify, Single Gaze and Unforgotten.

Winx claimed her eighteenth Group 1 trophy with her win in the Group 1 $4m Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on April 14, day two of The Championships and will be joined by other Waller trained Group 1 winner’s with D’Argento taking out the $600,000 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) at Rosehill and Unforgotten winning the $1m Australian Oaks (2400m) at Randwick, both during the 2018 Sydney Autumn Carnival while new stable acquisition Single Gaze was the winner of the 2016 $500,000 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill.

Winx will be having her first start back since claiming her twenty-fifth victory on the trot in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes and has pleased trainer Chris Waller in her lead up which included two Rosehill barrier trials.

“I can’t fault her,” Waller told AAP.

“She is a happy horse, a fit horse and seems like she always does.

“She is not a complicated horse to train.

“It would be a great honour to win the race named after her.”

The Group 1 $5m Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) at The Valley on October 27 will be Winx’s main 2018 Spring Carnival goal to try to make it four in a row after winning the weight for age championship for the last three years in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Other Group1 winners to be nominated for the Winx Stakes are the David Payne trained Ace High and James Cummings’ Alizee.

Ace High proved his early staying potential during the 2017 Spring Carnival with a win in the Group 1 $500,000 Moet & Chandon Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick followed by a win in the Group 1 $1.5m AAMI Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington.

Alizee also claimed Group 1 glory during the 2017 Spring Carnival with a win in the $500,000 Flight Stakes (1600m) at Randwick and then claimed a second Group 1 trophy with her victory in the $1m Coolmore Legacy Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) at Randwick during the 2018 Sydney Autumn Carnival.

Final acceptances for the 2018 Winx Stakes will be taken on Wednesday, August 15.

Nominations for the 2018 Winx Stakes (1400m)