What a year we’ve had in horse racing in 2016. Here’s a look back at some of the best and worst moments of 2016.
Better than Black Caviar? The next Phar Lap?
Five-year-old Winx has taken the Australian public by storm in 2016 off the back of an incredible 13-race winning streak over the past 18 months.
While Caviar retired undefeated and Phar Lap may never be eclipsed on reputation and historical relevance alone, Winx has put her hand (or hoof?) up as Australia’s next great racing horse.
The mare capped off the season with a resounding and dominant run at Moonee Valley, winning her second Cox Plate in a row by a record eight lengths in front of Hartnell, after winning the same race by nearly five lengths the year before.
A thriller at the Doncaster Mile brought trainer Chris Waller his sixth win at the famed event.
The pure domination and destruction of nearly every field she comes up against is astonishing to witness.
Twelve of the 13 wins have been by more than a length in margin.
Still a far way off some pretty insane all-time records, Winx is closing in on a host of Australian thoroughbred racing records.
A successful autumn campaign will see the mare sit one win behind Aussie legend Ajax for successive wins, while the once unthinkable winning streak of Black Caviar may come within reach if she can take this form into the next Spring Carnival.
She sits fourth on the all-time list for most consecutive Stakes wins.
Even those whose racing knowledge consists of the office pool at Melbourne Cup time have heard of Winx. She’s brought a renewed interest into racing from the outside markets and the industry has only benefited from it.
Whether or not she can threaten the 25 wins of Black Caviar, or even continue the streak at all is anyone’s guess, but Winx has already put her name down in Australian racing folklore.
The Australian list of consecutive wins is made up by a lot of regional horses who racked up victories in lesser events than the big name carnivals we know today, but Winx still cracks the top ten and sits in rich company.
Consecutive wins by an Australian horse
| No. | Horse | Wins |
| 1 | Black Caviar | 25 |
| 2 | Miss Petty | 22 |
| 3 | Picninc In The Park | 21 |
| 4 | Gloaming | 19 |
| 5 | Ajax | 18 |
| 6 | Gay Lungi | 17 |
| 7 | Bernborough | 15 |
| 8 | Gay James | 15 |
| 9 | Stylish Lord | 14 |
| 10 | Winx | 13 |
The race that stops the nation continues to captivate not only Australia but the world now as racing experts and casual punters alike flock to see one of the biggest spectacles on the Australian calendar.
Almandin and Heartbreak City produced one of the greatest Melbourne Cup finishes of all time this year just to add to the legacy of the great race.
Breaking away from the pack and pre-race favourite Hartnell on the final turn, the two 7-year-olds came into the line head to head.
Neither would relent the lead but Heartbreak City lived up to his name, losing out by a head at the post, giving Almandin a historic victory.
The two finished nearly five lengths ahead of the rest but as soon as they began to create a gap with 200 metres to go, all eyes left the 24-horse field and focused on the main event up front.
The richest two-mile handicap in the world produced the goods this year. The favourites looked strong early but fell away late. We had two unexpected runners captivate the nation at the finish and Godolphin still remains without a Cup win.
From start to finish there were stories playing out and it made for a thrilling race.
The images post-race of the two jockeys looking over at one another and patting each other on the back are timeless and showed a huge amount of respect and sportsmanship within such an intense industry.
The happiest of hunting grounds for Winx.
The Cox Plate was built as the possible streak-ender for the star mare with a strong field of local and international runners to challenge the champion five-year-old.
That didn’t turn out too well.
Winx notched up her second win in a row at the Plate with a mammoth eight-length victory over the rest of a hapless field who could do nothing but watch on like a fan in the stands.
International runners Vadamos and Hartnell were expected to give the champion mare a run for her money but they were left in the dust to fight for the scraps. Yankee Rose and Hauraki were among the best of the local talent but they were given a similar fate.
The $1.8 million prizemoney was going the way of Winx once again.
Hartnell and Yankee Rose, who was just under 10kg lighter than every other horse in the field, rounded out the place finishes, a length ahead of fourth-placed Vadamos.
As thrilling as the Melbourne Cup was for the two-horse finish, the Cox Plate was equally as incredible to watch for the pure class and margin of victory.
Just 12 months earlier Michelle Payne had been celebrating a famous and historic win in the Melbourne Cup onboard Prince of Penzance, a long outsider to say the least.
But in 2016 Payne couldn’t get a ride at the Race That Stops the Nation.
It was a less than ideal year for the 31-year old after the highest of highs in 2015, kicking off with injury, slipping performances and a lack of demand.
She fell hard off the front of the horse during the Sunraysia Daily Handicap at Mildura in May, injuring her abdomen.
The horse trod on her stomach as it rode over her and split her pancreas. Payne needed surgery in the aftermath, narrowly avoiding becoming a life-long diabetic.
She barely missed four months before returning to the saddle but her fight for a seat in the Melbourne Cup was falling away.
High hopes for a ride on Godolphin hopeful Oceanographer were pulled out from underneath her after the famous stable brought in another jockey for the Lexus Stakes a few days before the big race.
She was also banned from riding in NSW because of her duel training-riding license. The license is legal in Victoria but Racing NSW have different laws around being able to ride and train at the same time.
Looking to put together a small stable of her own for the next phase in her career, Payne was cut down by Racing NSW and continues to fight the ban into the new year.
It wasn’t all bad for Payne, winning the Don Award in October at the Sports Australia Hall of Fame awards for her achievements and inspiration in sport.
A well-deserved honour after a tough year in the horse racing industry.
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