Some of the greatest moments in sport come when we least expect them.
At racetracks and in pubs and TAB’s around the country, hundreds of thousands of people were casting an eye to the nearest TV screen at around 3pm on Saturday, ready for Race 6 at Randwick.
Winx was resuming from a spell, commencing her eighth preparation. Jumping at $1.10, standard odds for her off the back of 17 wins in a row, most punters wouldn’t have had a bet on her, or even in the race.
Racing is a punters’ game, but every now and then a horse comes along that transcends the sport. Like Black Caviar before her, Winx is one. We want her to win. We want the streak to continue. We want to be eyewitnesses to greatness.
There would have been a percentage of race fans that were only keeping a casual eye on the start of the Warwick Stakes, a race Winx won by an effortless three and a half lengths last year. Everything changed in a second, when the great mare reared in the barriers and missed the start by four or five lengths.
I was watching the race in the Medallion Bar, in the Caulfield members. A gasp went around the room. Every second person seemed to exclaim “She’s missed it!” and there was an edge to the murmurings in the early stages of the race.
Hugh Bowman didn’t panic, or if he did, he didn’t let it affect his judgement. He tacked onto the field over the first few hundred metres of the race, a length or two off the second last horse, and then crept up approaching the 800m, knowing Inference had been three wide the trip and could provide him some cover approaching the home turn.
(AAP Image/Joe Castro)
Ecudaor had taken up the running, in his usual style. He wasn’t setting a furious pace, but he wasn’t walking either. He’s a good honest Group 2 horse, with a couple of Group 1 placings to his name. Foxplay is a class filly, and had enjoyed the run of the race.
She made her move just before straightening and it was clear that these two were the horses Winx was going to have to overcome.
Winx was spotting them 6-8 lengths at the top of the straight, and Kerrin McEvoy was going like the clappers on Foxplay during the 400m-200m split. In the meantime, Bowman had looped Winx around to be the widest runner in the straight.
He’d already had bad luck at the start, and if his mare was going to go down, it wasn’t going to be due to bad luck at the end.
McEvoy wouldn’t have known that Winx had missed the start, and must have been wondering where she was, waiting for the ‘whoosh’ down the outside. It was a long time coming!
With 200m to go, Darren Flindell bellowed “Winx is four lengths away, she’s cutting loose now!” and his call gave us all confidence. It looked doable. At the time, we probably didn’t appreciate just how fast she was already going. She’d run 10.92 from the 600m-400m, and 10.24 from the 400m-200m. She’d have to reel off another sub-11 second furlong in order to win.
Up front, Foxplay wasn’t stopping. Ecuador had found his second wind and was charging back.
Part of the theatre of racing is the racecaller. The great moments have always had a signature line accompanying them. The greatest of all, of course, was Greg Miles with “a champion becomes a legend!” when Makybe Diva won her third Melbourne Cup.
With 100m to go, it was anyone’s guess whether Winx could get there. Flindell roaring “it’s going to get desperate!” perfectly encapsulated the atmosphere and the nerves among all watching. 75m to go and she couldn’t get there. 50m to go and it was a maybe. But within a stride or two of that, it was clear that she was going to make it.
And exhale…
At Caulfield, the cheer was resounding, and there were high fives all around. The Medallion Bar burst into spontaneous applause, a rarely seen event for a race not taking place at the actual track.
Winx had covered her last 200m in 10.72, making it three sectionals in a row of sub-11 seconds, which is basically unheard of. Her last 600m was run in 31.88. To go any faster, she’d need to have an outboard motor attached.
(Photo: AAP)
It may well go down as the greatest performance of Winx’s career, which is different than saying it was her greatest win. There have been some stunning turns along the way.
Down at Caulfield, and Hartnell put it beyond doubt who the second best horse in Australia was, given Black Heart Bart had some claims. The money came for Hartnell, most likely based on the soft track being in his favour, and detrimental to Bart.
That said, it was an on-pace dominated race, and Hartnell only put the race to bed in the last half-furlong. Bart sat a few lengths behind Hartnell in the run, and that’s where he finished behind him. He’s on track to take out the Memsie in two weeks’ time, given Hartnell won’t be there.
Saturday had shaped as the best day of winter racing we’d seen in Melbourne and Sydney in the longest time, and the day lived up to all expectation, if not surpassing it.
Winx got up off the canvas to deliver a memorable knock-out blow to the Warwick Stakes field, and Hartnell further established Winx’s superiority down in Melbourne, given how easily he put away a quality field, and the many times he hasn’t been able to get near the great mare in his career.
Andrew
Guest
I think it's natural to question the quality of the opposition when a horse keeps on winning. But you can't doubt she's the best we have at the moment. Chris Waller's contribution to the win shouldn't be under-estimated. She should've been beaten but he had her fit enough to overcome the obstacle placed in front of her after missing the start. A champion training performance.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
a) yes, you just did above. You have just rated her best mare and best sprinter b) Hartnell first up 5 days ago at an unsuitable distance beat a 5x G1 winner at his pet distance and track
kv joef
Roar Guru
interesting selection Blake. Are you aware that Shannon was the FIRST Aussie internationally recognised champion. Even though Shannon's win record was around 50% peformances were impressive in AU including an Australasian record but he set the U.S. scene on fire winning a slew of feature West Coast races as a 7yr, running 2 world records (1800/2000 in a week) and being rated 2nd only to the U.S legend Citation, the triple-crown winning 3yrold of that year with 27wins/29 starts at that time. Shannon was voted 1948 US best older horse in one poll and best Handicap horse in another. Suppose he was a tier-3 horse in your book ... You really don't know what a good horse is ... until you understand what good horses do. Interestingly enough Bernborough and Shannon stood at the same US stud and were successful.
Blake
Guest
The problem with that is two fold - I haven't argued that BC is GOAT and Hay List was plenty better at being a sprinter than Hartnell is at being a middle distance racer.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
If all you have to do is beat Hay List a few fimes to be GOAT, then we need raise our expectations.
Aransan
Guest
Black Caviar is only top tier due to her being a pure sprinter -- perhaps the best sprinter of all time anywhere. Sprinters are not rated as highly internationally as they are here, from a breeding point of view some consider them to be a dead end. I rate Winx higher than Black Caviar because her race distances have much greater competition than pure sprints. It is a pity that she hasn't raced internationally but the experts can accurately evaluate her on the world stage given the horses she has beaten.
Raimond
Roar Guru
Without wanting to sound rude, but this is the sort of provincial-minded thinking that is the bane of Australian racing. You have to leave your home turf and win at least once to prove yourself. This is not a knock on her, but her connections.
Blake
Guest
Second tier horses like Might and Power, SYT, Sunline, Northerly - Winx fits in that group. She just looks better because she has got no competition. Top tier would be Bernborough, Kingston Town, Phar Lap, Black Caviar.
Haradasun
Guest
Based on international ratings SYT at his peak, rated only a point higher than hartnells run in the turnbull last year. SYT put a length on the rising 9yo Zipping to win his 2nd cox plate. Maybe if we get Maldivian out of retirrment for this years cox it might convince Blake?
no one in particular
Roar Guru
Blake knows more than ratings, handicappers, professional punters and Aidan O'Brien. With that knowledge he must be at the top of the racing game
Will Sinclair
Roar Guru
Winning three Cox Plates will do more for her legacy than any amount of overseas wins. If the rest of the World think they're better than her - let them come down and try. It's not like the prizemoney isn't here!
no one in particular
Roar Guru
The Cox Plate and QE are excellent races prize money wise. The "best" should come here, not her go overseas for lesser prizemoney
Blake
Guest
If all you have to do is beat Hartnell a few fimes to be GOAT, then we need raise our expectations.
Haradasun
Guest
Not in top 10?? Madness. She is fastest and has beaten the best in the business. Winx has just run the same times as black caviar did in her prime and winx was first up and missed the start! What criteria do you use when you analyse horses? Hartnell is one of the best horses in the world right now and she was that far in front of him at the winning post, as oshea said, hartnell probably thought he had won. She is goat.
Blake
Guest
I'll drink the Kool-Aid, quite happily, when she beats something.
kv joef
Roar Guru
... so why didn't you listen to him, that would have been respectful? My mum used to paraphrase a biblical saying ... something about letting everybody think you are a fool ... before opening your mouth and removing every shadow of doubt ...
Blake
Guest
Best ever Aussie? My father used to have a saying about some people "Often wrong, but never in doubt". She's not in my top 10.
kv joef
Roar Guru
Blake --- with your comments above expect a deluge of offers from bookmakers ... all of them will want to be your bookmaker ... will beg to be your bookmaker. Wow ... ' Hartnell and Highland Reel are not great racehorses ' ... HReel winner of 6G1s / G2+ winner in 4 different countries --- A O'Brien SAID he pulled the right reign going to U.S winning the Breeders Cup Turf instead of a Winx rematch but i forgot you reckon O'Brien is clueless ... .as for Hartnell a 2xG1s (or 4 if Winx disappears) / G3+ winner in two countries ... As for ratings you don't care about, Moonlight Cloud ever only rated in the low 120s - don't think she ever rated higher than the any of those WINX competitors mentioned. I'll let you in on a little secret, something i've known about for sometime ... Winx is the best racehorse this country has ever seen ... period. Instead of bagging her - enjoy her, you will be talking about her until the day they put you in a box ... the same way as a kid i used to listen to aged people talking about Phar Lap, Peter Pan, Manfred, Windbag, Shannon, Gloaming and Desert Gold ... ENJOY and yes she is 'extremely good'.
Blake
Guest
Hartnell and Highland Reel are not great rachorses, I don't care what the ratings say. Beating Chautauqua over 1500m on a bog doesn't count. So You Think won a Cox Plate when he was still a 2yo (by calendar birth). Then the next year he towelled Whobegotyou and More Joyous and should been unbeaten overseas (incl. the Arc) if Aiden knew what he was doing. And was only beaten in the Melb Cup by a deadset champion stayer. Black Caviar beat Moonlight Cloud (when she was busted) and Hay List at his best. Beating other champions matters. Winx is obviously extremely good, but she's got zero competition in Australia at the moment. That's not her fault, but it is a fact.
Raimond
Roar Guru
Some of the shine is taken off the win by the fact that she is still to take on the world's best. Every race against good-ish fields here is a missed opportunity on the global stage.