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The Cox Plate this Saturday will see one of the most hotly-anticipated battles of the entire Spring Carnival, with winning machine Winx coming up against Godolphin’s prized possession Hartnell.
Winx racked up her 12th consecutive win earlier in the month at the Caulfield Stakes in what turned out to be a shortened three-horse race after the mare scared off all her other contenders from even lining up in the barriers.
The five-year-old is coming in as defending champion, having taken last year’s Cox Plate in convincing fashion by nearly four lengths.
While she is coming in as hot favourite to take the Plate once again at Moonee Valley, Winx has some stiff competition to contend with.
Coming out of the famous Godolphin stables and under the care of Australian trainer John O’Shea, Hartnell has become one of the premier racehorses in the country.
Hartnell doesn’t exactly have a gleaming record against Winx though, losing all three contests between the two champion horses, including falling by nearly ten lengths at last year’s Cox Plate.
Despite this, the gelding has muscled up and improved massively in the ensuing 12 months.
He’s racked up wins at the Chelmsford Stakes and Hills Stakes at Randwick last month, before running home by two lengths at Flemington in the Turnbull Stakes to begin a winning streak of his own.
While normally one to keep his cards close to his chest, O’Shea is still confident his horse has the tools and the right preparation under his belt to contend for the Plate.
“Everything has gone to plan since her last start and she’s in winning form,” O’Shea said.
“We just feel he’s on an upward spiral since he’s been to Melbourne and hopefully we can have him right on the day.”
Winx will take firm favouritism into the race among the bookies, being priced at a ridiculously short $1.90 for the win.
“In the pressure of the Cox Plate great horses lift,” Winx trainer Chris Waller said about the strength of the opposition.
“But we’ve been there, we know we’ve got what it takes.”
As the hype continues to build around Winx and the mare’s stellar form, Hartnell has been pushed out to $3.30.
The next closest runner in the field is Yankee Rose, who has been priced at $14.
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