A win in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes this preparation will seal Winx’s legacy as Australia’s best mare of the last decade.
That might seem a bit bold when we’ve seen superstars like Atlantic Jewel, More Joyous and the unbeaten Black Caviar, but such is the raw ability of Winx, she will surpass them all to become the best mare since Makybe Diva.
Her return win in the Apollo Stakes on Saturday was simply breathtaking. Second favourite Solicit had a run under her belt and an uncontested lead entering the straight before Hugh Bowman gave her clear running and she zoomed past to win by a length.
Contrary to what some suggest, Solicit is no slouch. This is the mare that defeated Suavito over 1400 metres earlier in her career. This is the same Suavito which triumphed in one of the hottest Group 1 CF Orr (1400m) fields in recent history on Saturday.
Winx’s runs in Queensland as a filly made people take notice. Her dominant wins in the Epsom Mile and Cox Plate showed us that she was the real deal. When she is spelled after her runs in The Championships in autumn, we will realise that she has surpassed Black Caviar.
Winx has the explosive nature to be successful over the sprint trips (look at her Theo Marks Stakes win for a guide), as well as the stamina to be dominant over middle distance journeys, evidenced by her emphatic four-and-a-half length victory in a star-studded 2015 Cox Plate.
Atlantic Jewel suffered just the one defeat in her career, a nose defeat to It’s A Dundeel. Had she kept racing she would have contested heavily for the title as best mare since the Diva, but her owners were more concerned with her life after racing.
More Joyous won an incredible 20 black-type races, including her dominant preparation during the autumn of 2012 when she won the Canterbury Stakes, Queen of the Turf, Doncaster Mile and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. The only thing missing from her resume was a major Group 1 win in Melbourne.
Black Caviar’s record speaks for itself, with an incredible 25 wins from 25 starts, including 16 at Group 1 level. There is no doubt that she is the best sprinter Australia has witnessed and the best mare we have seen since Makybe Diva, with some of the belief that she has eclipsed the three-time Melbourne Cup champion.
You’re probably wondering how Winx could be in the conversation with some of Australia’s great mares, let alone being considered a preparation away from surpassing three superstars of the track.
It’s pretty simple; a win in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes during the Championships at Randwick gives her the combination of having stretched her range, inviting all comers to try and beat her and showing her invincibility in both New South Wales and Victoria.
Nobody knows her better than Chris Waller, who declares that she is a miler, yet that doesn’t stop him from pushing her out beyond her comfort zone and seeing just how good she is over unsuitable trips. This approach paid dividends in the Cox Plate, resulting in her winning Australia’s richest weight-for-age race in track record time.
The notion of pushing a mare past distances she knows is foreign to Peter Moody, who seemed more concerned with picking and choosing races to maintain a perfect record as opposed to seeing just how good she could be. Black Caviar only stepped out at 1400 metres once, resulting in an easy win over a field of returning stayers in the 2012 CF Orr Stakes.
This is no knock on the great mare, as she could only do what she was asked, but that cloud will always hang over her head of just how far she could’ve gone. There is no such query with Winx, a wonderful mare that has won black-type races from 1200-2200 metres, and has defeated some superstars in the process.
Black Caviar may be Australia’s best mare since Makybe Diva for the moment, but it is a title that will be relinquished in two months’ time when Winx takes all before her, finishing her prep with a win in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Royal Randwick.
Aransan
Guest
Black Caviar may have been the best sprinter of all time any where but Winx is rated the best horse on turf in the world at the moment and she is racing over distances where the competition is stronger. The only knock on her is that she is yet to race overseas but she has competed against world class international horses in her two Cox Plate wins. There is not much between Black Caviar and Winx.
ryan lester
Guest
Sure, Let her win 10 more G1 wins..............
michael steel
Guest
I think Makybe Diva and Black Caviar were great mares and Winx is the best around now. Black Caviar was unbeaten No horse will ever top that. It's like one of those" Don Bradman wasn't the best comparisons"
Jrod
Guest
Without doubt! By the same token that obm beats Winx Winx beats bc and is comparable to md. Please..... I know this is an opinion site but some things don't deserve printing. This is one of those. Northerly, Sunrise, Foo, lonhro, and so you think would all start short against Winx on an unbiased track - for good reason also.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
What Makybe Diva, Black Cavier and, going back, Sunline all did was win big open handicaps, giving weight to the boys. And these were the top races in the country - Melbourne Cup, Newmarket and Doncaster.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
Did the author just start following racing in June? And was Winx his biggest collect?
wal
Guest
Sean may have been in the game for a maximum of one week judging by this wonderful thoughtful opinion.
Aransan
Guest
It is alright to speak potentially, all she needs to do is win a couple of Queen Elizabeth stakes and another Cox Plate, perhaps another two Cox Plates? To compare her with Black Caviar in addition she would need to win at Royal Ascot or perhaps one of the breeders races in November in the US.
Adam Page
Roar Guru
I think in the hype and what Black Caviar did for racing in a tough period for the sport, people forget just how good Makybe Diva was. Three Melbourne Cups, a Cox Plate, a nose second in a Caulfield, plus another three Group l wins, including an Australian Cup in track/world record time. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but to potentially compare Winx with Makybe Diva and Black Caviar...please.
Scuba
Guest
If Ecuador and Sons of John filling the placings is your idea of a strong Epsom I can only conclude you've been following racing for about six months
wal
Guest
Here are some facts. We all know BC' record - 25 starts 25 wins with 15 group ones.(100% win/loss) Makybe Diva - 36 starts 15 wins, 7 group ones (woeful 41% win/loss) Winx - 16 starts 10wins 3 groups ones (62.5% win/loss) Its not even close. When Winx hits double figures in group ones we may be able to start a conversation because someone has no idea at the moment.
Aransan
Guest
Tristan, I think O'Brien was guided by the Australian belief that So You Think was a middle distance stayer. O'Brien eventually believed that by the European pattern of racing he was more of a miler, however there wouldn't have been much joy in running second to Frankel. Mind you, I would have been prepared to back So You Think on a heavy track against Frankel over 10 furlongs.
Tristan Rayner
Editor
So You Think was trained poorly by Aidan O'Brien, mind you.
Aransan
Guest
Maybe Diva's first 2 wins were 1600m and 1700m, she subsequently won the Memsie Stakes over 1400m. I don't think the distances are a knock on her, she was a champion over 2000m to 3200m when the conditions suited her and even given the conditions you need more than luck to win 3 Melbourne Cups. Internationally she was unproven and we don't get the world's best horses running in "the world's richest handicap" or our other group 1 races either.
Rayzor
Guest
Mmmm a good comparison. Maybe a tad early to be surpassing black caviar, but winx is certainly on the podium of great mares
Razzar
Guest
Makybe. Diva requires conditions to suit eg slow heavy. Winx is more versatile . To my knowledge Makybe ' only won two or three races under 2000mtrs.
Aransan
Guest
Maybe Diva had to have a track to suit her and she was very lucky to have had conditions to suit her in 3 Melbourne Cups. She didn't do so well in Japan when she raced on a fast track. It is well known that our sprinters are world class, if it hadn't been for Black Caviar then Hay List would have been the best horse in the world at the time. Our horses are not nearly so competitive over middle distances against international competition, So You Think was a champion here but didn't dominate in Europe and a mile was probably his best distance there. My point is that Black Caviar had consistently stronger opposition in world terms than Winx and others have had to face over middle and staying distances.
Aransan
Guest
Some people aren't happy until a horse is beaten. Would you have raced Black Caviar over an unsuitable distance just to satisfy the purists? You will come unstuck rating horses on times, often the horse to beat is the one that can sprint a couple of times in a race -- firstly to take up a good position and then to finish the race off. Weight for age races often are not won in quick times, tactics can be more important with a horse that can execute those tactics.
Sean Teuma
Roar Guru
You won't get an argument from me about Black Caviar being the best sprinter of our time, because she clearly is. Again I repeat that BC was a protected mare by owners, Moody and even racing authorities (remember when she was shifted out a gate so as to not race close to Here De Angels after it played up in the barrier stalls?). Makybe was a superstar, and BC is the best mare we've seen since her, but that all changes after Winx asserts her dominance this Autumn in my opinion.
Sean Teuma
Roar Guru
There's no doubting that Moody and the owners wanted to protect that unblemished record. There was serious doubt during her Brisbane campaign as to whether she could run out a strong 1400 metres in the 10,000 against the likes of Beaded, Love Conquers All, Black Pirhana and Hay List (which was scratched prior to the race). Yes she still has a bit to prove, which will be done this preparation. Keep in mind this is the same Winx that smashed Might and Power's 2040 metre track record at Moonee Valley by over half a second, all after carrying 57kg to victory after jumping from barrier 12 in a strong Epsom field.