On August 1, the mighty mare Winx turns seven, meaning she is heading towards the end of a brilliant career.
The champion has given her three owners and Australian punters many a thrill. Her owners are obviously not short of a dollar, given that she has earned nearly $16 million up until now.
This weekend’s $1 million George Ryder Stakes marks the point where trainer Chris Waller decides along with the owners, whether to go to Royal Ascot or not. Public pressure is mounting on Waller and connections to take her to England and ‘take on the world’.
The racehorses I have part-owned wouldn’t even eat Winx’s dust, but I can assure you if I was lucky enough to own her, she wouldn’t be heading to England. The main reason is money.
Despite all the pomp and pageantry, the prizemoney at Royal Ascot is paltry by Australian and other countries standards. Assuming all goes well on Saturday, Winx will head to Randwick in a few weeks and race in the $4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
After her usual winter break, she can resume in Sydney and then head to Melbourne. There, she can attempt a record fourth Cox Plate which is expected to boost its purse to $4 million this season.
Winning the $2 million Emirates Stakes on the final day of the marvellous Melbourne Spring Carnival would be a great swansong.
In comparison, the most likely target at Royal Ascot is the £600,000 ($1.09 million AUD) Queen Anne Stakes. Apparently, English racing authorities have been in Australia recently in an attempt to attract Winx to their carnival.
I am not sure what bait they can use to attract, perhaps they are just asking nicely or trying to spin some story about the grandeur of the English event.
Australians seem to be fascinated with the Ascot meeting since Choisir won the Golden Jubilee 15 years ago. After the victory of Choisir, Scenic Blast, Takeover Target, Miss Andretti, Star Spangled Banner and Black Caviar have been victorious in either of the two major sprint races.
(AAP Image/Julian Smith)
The old sporting rivalry comes to the fore and we like to think we are beating the English on their home turf.
As the Ashes is quite often overrated in terms of importance, (this year the English were the fifth-rated Test nation out of ten) we think that Royal Ascot is the World Championships of Racing.
I understand there is great history and you might get to meet the Queen (a big deal for some), but there are plenty of bigger and better races for more money in other parts of the world.
The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in France is often rated the best race in the world with a purse of $8 million. Similarly, the US Breeders Cup two-day meeting features 12 Group 1 races totalling $40 million.
Arrogate, the American champion controversially ranked ahead of Winx by the IFHA, won the main race here in 2016. IFHA rated the Queen Anne stakes the 23rd-best race in the world last year in a list headed by the Arc in Paris.
The Dubai World Cup meeting features a main dirt race of $13 million, recently won by Arrogate and California Chrome. If racing on dirt is not to her liking, there are turf races worth up to $6.5 million.
It’s been a long time since Aussie horses have been competitive in the $7.6 million Japan Cup too. The highly lucrative International Day at Hong Kong features world-class racing. Australian horses were finding it very hard to win there before quarantine laws made it an unattractive venture.
The owners will do as they please but personally, Winx will not be proving to be the world’s best horse by winning at Royal Ascot. Don’t get sucked into thinking that beating the English is such a big deal.
A long journey for little prizemoney is too much of a risk. Leave her at home and let her become immortalised with a fourth Cox plate in Melbourne!
tony
Guest
I dont think Frankel runs first 3 However if same field went to Ascot over 1600m i think Frankel finishes closer but still gets beaten by at least 2
tony
Guest
Why do the english think our horses need to race there to prove themselves yet there horses ie frankel never raced outside the uk? Cox plate field Winx , Maykybe Diva , Sunline . Frankel , KingstonTown , Phar Lap , Dulcify, So You Think , Northerly , Might n Power , Saintly , Octagonal , Better Loosen Up . Bonecrusher , Tobin Bronze , Ajax , Flight , Tulloch , Tranquil Star and 3yo.s Red Anchor & Surround who wins??????
ScottWoodward.me
Roar Guru
The Duff made a good point that resonated on the weekend when he said that if Winx wins the Arc she will be" the greatest of all time". Hard to argue.
peeko
Guest
no, i think one of those races is better, not Ascot
no one in particular
Roar Guru
You mean English champion Frankel. Never left home, the thing people like you criticise Winx for
johnny nevin is a legend
Guest
Nathan your summing up of the Queens Anne standing in G1 mile races is spot on. I think Royal Ascot and the Eclipse stakes are the only options for Team Winx to make it back for 4th Cox plate
wal
Guest
So you would prefer a 4th Cox Plate rather than a victory in the ARC, Dubai or Breeders Cup. If Winx won one of those races she would be far more respected around the world rather than beating up on the same horses we know she will beat if she is right for a 4th plate.
peeeko
Roar Guru
i dont think Phar Laps legacy is better due to winning a race in America. Black Caviar is most well known for being unbeaten, not winning a race many aussies have won. Winning the Queen Anne is not beating the worlds best - far from it. Winning a 4th Cox Plate is legendary
peeeko
Roar Guru
great quote
wal
Guest
Phar Lap went overseas and became more than just an Australian Champion. Carbine couldn't go overseas due to the lack of transport options in those days. Both Tulloch and Kingston Town, Tommy wanted to race them overseas but illness and injuries stopped that and they are just Australian Champions. Black Caviar is far more well known and respected throughout the world by winning at Ascot. Does Winx want to try to become an International Champion or just an Australian Champion. Its always a risk going overseas but Winx has nothing left to prove by remaining in Australia.
Nathan Absalom
Roar Guru
Great article. Let's make one thing clear. The Queen Anne is not the best mile race in the world. It is not the best mile race in Europe. It is not the best mile race in England. It is not even the best mile race held at Ascot! That's the Queen Elizabeth II, held on Champion's day in October. Not only is it worth nearly double the prizemoney but the Queen Anne is 4yo and up, while the QEII is 3yo and up and if memory serves me right has been a Group one for longer . The only thing the Queen Anne has going for it is that it's run at the Royal meeting. But the Royal meeting isn't like the Cheltenham Festival, there's not a lot of races apart from the Gold Cup that are the best in Europe for their division. But the reason I think that it is a missed opportunity is that Winx is so good she should be trying to do something that hasn't been done before. Australians have won both G1 mile races at Ascot (Haradasun won the Queen Anne and Starcraft won the QEII) and she'd blow those horses away. So yeah, I'd rather she went to the Arc or Breeder's Cup, but then again, no-one has won four Cox Plates either.
Raimond
Roar Guru
Some good points here, peeeko. I remember Gideon Haigh once asking: "How come England is suddenly the benchmark of horse racing? Is it because they wear top hats?" One can only assume that the answer is "Yes." I've already made my thoughts on Winx known here at The Roar, but having the world's best racehorse and never testing that horse against the world seems like a terrible waste.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
Tulloch and Kingston Town never went, and their legacies have not been diminished in any way
no one in particular
Roar Guru
Phar Lap went overseas and he never raced again Black Cavier went overseas and she got badly injured Naturalism went overseas and he never raced again Saintly went overseas and raced only once more
peeeko
Roar Guru
i am not sure about the Melbourne Cup. There was only 1 Australian bred horse in the cup last year. All the good sires and horses in Australia are sprinters. To me there is little interest (apart from Lloyd Williams) in purchasing a melbourne cup winner. Everyone buys horses hoping to win the Slipper etc It is also still the richest race in Australia - the Everest doesnt count as prizemoney is shared with a slot holder
peeeko
Roar Guru
agree that there is a difference between an oz and international champion, i just dont think the deciding factor is the Queen Anne stakes. Meeting a monarch is no big deal for me, i cant understand why anyone would. True that some people will celebrate, i just think its under false pretenses and since Choisir many have fallen for Ascot while we used to chase the tougher Japan Cup and HK
Punter
Guest
I agree with you that Ascot may not be the highest 'quality' race in the world, and countries such as Japan have taken racing to a higher level. Its not necessarily a single race at Ascot, but the Queen Anne is one of the majors along with the Jubilee and the POW. I will stand by my thoughts that Ascot is 1A. There is a lustre and an aura about it, which stems from its origins. The nouveau-riche can point towards the Breeders Cup, or Dubai, Hong Kong, etc and say cash is king, but the reality is that history and tradition matter big time in the sport of kings. Make no mistake, Ascot has the pull factor. And yes, Debbie Kapitis has the cash, but to have Royal Ascot rolling out the red carpet, is not a money equation. In a similar vein, it is why the Melbourne Cup is always going to be the race every owner in Australia wants. It has a history and a heritage to it, that no matter how much money is pumped into other races, will always be number 1. Ascot, Epsom Derby, Kentucky Derby, Melbourne Cup, The Arc, Japan Cup. These are iconic races.
ScottWoodward.me
Roar Guru
btw, I would back Frankel.
ScottWoodward.me
Roar Guru
Hi peeeko, Phar lap went OS. Depends what the owners want her legacy to be. There is a difference between an Australian Champion and a World Champion - that's a fact. It is not about money. Going to Ascot and meeting the Queen IS a BIG deal. I know a heap of people that will plan to go to Ascot if she goes, and many more that will fill the pubs after midnight to cheer her on like they did with Black Caviar. It is an event in sports lovers’ life. If Waller thinks she is suited to the ARC, and at WFA, she should be, then that is the race he should target as it is widely regarded as the world’s best race. Win the ARC and then she can can cuddle up to the legendary Frankel. Wow can you imagine Winx and Frankel together over a mile?
peeeko
Roar Guru
it isnt 1A, all rankings and ratings point to the Arc, Japan Cup, Breeders cup and Dubai as being higher quality races you really think that Debbie Kepetis who is part of the billionaire Ingham empire needs free accommodation and air travel? Aussie/Kiwi horses like Better Loosen Up, Horlicks and Naturalism used to go to Japan before it got to difficult. 150,000 go to that race meeting but i guess its not the British Empire Thoughts like England being the home of racing are dated when better racing exists in other parts of the world. You dont think the Japan Cup, Meydan or Chantilly is on par with Ascot? Some Aussies will never break out of this colonial mentality that winning in England is a big deal. Winning the other races carries more prestige. The Queen Anne stakes is not a prestigious race on the world scene and Winx would not be proving much by winning there.