Winx will win 29 races in a row, culminating in a fourth-straight Cox Plate, and go down in history as Australia’s greatest racehorse.
She’s better than Phar Lap, Tulloch, Manikato, Kingston Town, Makybe Diva, So You Think and even Black Caviar.
Her versatility and ability to win against the odds makes her stand out against her rivals.
The champion mare confirmed this on Saturday in the Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m) at Randwick.
Racing on a surface that was ordinary at best for a Group 1 meeting and certainly one that wasn’t favouring horses coming down the middle of the track, Winx overcame that adversity to record another easy win.
In her streak of 26 wins in a row, opposition trainers and jockeys have tried their best to beat her. They’ve tried running races at a quick tempo, knowing Winx gets back early. They’ve tried going slow from the start, knowing that she relies on having one quick sprint in the final 300m.
But none of those tactics have proven detrimental to the Chris Waller-trained mare.
I can understand why people make a case for Black Caviar to be our greatest horse. She was undefeated with 25 wins from 25 starts. And she went overseas to show her wares.
But the reason I have Winx ahead of the Peter Moody-trained champion is because Winx has been thrown in the deep end more often. Connections have challenged her more regularly.
(AAP Image/Julian Smith)
Black Caviar raced 24 times over the distances of 1000m and 1200m. She only once raced over 1400m and that day they genuinely walked, making it a sprint home at the finish.
Winx has won over 1100m, 1200m, 1300m, 1400m, 1500m, 1600m, 2000m, 2200m and finished second in her only race over 2400m.
That’s freakish. There has been the odd stayer and middle-distance horse to win over the shorter distances, especially early in their campaigns, but for Winx to be able to do so consistently over her career is unheard of.
Waller has rightly avoided handicap races because she would simply be crushed by weight, which could be a knock on her if you are in the Phar Lap camp, but the weight-for-age scale is a tried and tested measurement.
There’s no better horse to have raced on Australian soil than Winx.
The fact she races back in the field and has still managed to win 26 races in a row – all of them at Group level – puts her at the top of the pile for me.
Winx will retire as Australia’s greatest ever racehorse. And we are blessed to have seen both her and Black Caviar in the same generation.
Her next stop is likely the George Main Stakes (1600m) at Randwick before the Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington and the Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley.
(Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)
Sunlight shines again
Another fabulous female showed her class at Caulfield, bouncing back to win the Group 3 Quezette Stakes (1100m).
“It was the Sunlight of old today,” trainer Tony McEvoy said after his star filly held off rivals in a spirited finish.
Sunlight was well beaten in Adelaide when resuming from a spell, blown away by Everest hopeful Nature Strip.
“She went into that race a little light on in terms of fitness and she blew out,” McEvoy said.
“She also was beaten by some sort of a horse in Nature Strip. I thought there was six lengths of improvement to come going into today’s race.”
Sunlight now has six wins and three placings from her nine starts and will be kept to sprint races this campaign.
McEvoy said Sunlight would next start in the Danehill Stakes (1200m) on September 15 before running in the Coolmore Stakes (1200m) on November 3, both at Flemington.
“I’m in no hurry with her. There’s a long way to go in this campaign.”
Showtime wins a classic
Dwayne Dunn gave Showtime a dream run in transit to take out the Group 2 PB Lawrence Stakes at Caulfield, beating a field full of future spring stars.
Showtime will now head to the $1 million Group 1 Memsie Stakes over the same trip as the Lawrence (1400m), where a win will likely book him a ticket at stud.
“If he can get that Group 1, he goes and stands at (John Messara’s stud) Arrowfield,” co-trainer Wayne Hawkes said.
“I don’t know if any stud master has been able to do what he has. He got Danehill, then (his son) Redoute’s Choice and then (his son) Snitzel and so it would be great if this one could follow the line.”
After opening at $7, Showtime firmed into $6 by race time and he sat behind Jungle Edge for much of the trip before forging clear in the straight and hanging on to defeat last year’s winner Hartnell by a long neck.
There were plenty of eye-catching runs in the race, with Hartnell proving he’s not done yet, while the likes of Kings Will Dream, Widgee Turf and Grunt did not disappoint over the shorter distance.
How we went
I would have called it a bad day for followers, with four of the five selections losing, but amazingly it was still another profitable Saturday. When Egyptian Symbol won race eight at Randwick at around $7.30 she ensured that our yearly tally grew again. There were a couple of hard luck stories across the day, but we push on.
Total spend in 2018: $700*
Total return in 2018: $1083*
* Based on $20 spend per selection and BetEasy’s top tote dividend.
pakistanstar
Guest
Winx won both the Epsom Handicap and Doncaster Mile in 2015/16 so she has proven herself in the handicaps. I believe she was high up in the weights for both of them too.
ScottWoodward.me
Roar Guru
Hi Matt, One of the chief reasons why I believe Bernborough should always rate so high as one of our greatest ever is simply because it is virtually impossible mathematically to come from near last and win 15 races straight from Group 1 sprints to staying classics. This is the big distinction between Black Caviar and Winx. Being an on pace sprinter, Black Caviar was not reliant on the pace of the race or how it was run. If she was to be beaten then she simply was not good enough. Several times Winx has looked in trouble, and while she has been good enough to still win, Hugh Bowman deserves huge credit for some of his rides as he has constantly taken the luck factor out and rode her like she is the best horse. I am not sure Winx would have this winning streak without the cool and calculated Bowman.
michael steel
Guest
There's no need for Winx to be called The Greatest of all Time. She sits very comfortably with the first 5 HALL OF FAME inductees, Carbine, Phar Lap, Bernborough, Tulloch and Kingston Town. And she's definitely the best horse since Kingston Town.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
We've seen from the ratings that Winx gets these aren't really worth much. Apparently last year Our Ivanhowe, and his one start, was rated better then 2x G1 winner Tosen Startdom
Aransan
Roar Rookie
But we aren't attracting the world's top horses are we? In the Autumn there is also the $1.5m BMW at Rosehill. The prize money is high enough but they don't have the status of the world's top races -- the Arc, Breeders Cup races in the U.S. etc.
peeko
Guest
Queen Elizabeth worth 4 mil at randwick
Aransan
Roar Rookie
From Wikipedia: "In the 2016 edition of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings Highland Reel was given a rating of 123, making him the 12th best racehorse in the world.[20] In the 2017 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, Highland Reel was rated the twelfth-best horse in the world, and the joint-best horse in Ireland.[21]" So in 2015 Winx defeated Highland Reel who was rated the twelfth best horse in the world in 2016 and 2017. I don't wish to diminish Winx's performance but she did have the bias of the track in her favour that day,.
Aransan
Roar Rookie
I can't see top horses from Europe or America coming to compete in the Cox Plate. Frankel didn't need to leave England to get an accurate assessment of his performances as he was competing against some of the best international horses in his races. The class of horse that run in our middle distance and staying races is not comparable to the class of horses that run overseas, Winx is the exception. Apart from the Cox Plate, the big money for middle and staying distances in Australia is in the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup which are both handicaps. These races are not attractive for top horses from overseas because of the weight that they would have to carry. The exception is for lightly raced northern hemisphere three year olds such as Rekindling. The Cox plate winner Adelaide is another horse in that category but I don't think anyone would claim him to be one of the top international horses.
Matt Nicholls
Expert
Buttery, if you actually go back and look at Phar Lap's record you'll find that in his last 23 runs in Australia, 21 of them were at WFA level. The only two handicap races he competed in that period were the 1930 Melbourne Cup (which he won) and the 1931 Melbourne Cup (where he finished 8th, carrying the grandstand). All trainers avoid handicap races with the best horses because handicappers have no choice but to hammer them with weight.
buttery
Roar Rookie
"Waller has deliberately avoided handicap races because she would carry the grandstand " that there has ruined your arguement on her being the greatest of all time, Pharlap, Tulloch etc did not dodge the handicapper, that's why they are considered the greatest.
no one in particular
Roar Guru
She did beat Europes all time highest stakes winner, who won G1's on 3 continents
Kangas
Roar Rookie
If only they knew how good she was when she was a 4 or 5 year old mare , they might have aimed for Europe she is too old to risk now with travel sickness , I would go for the 4 th Cox Plate Anyhow what’s to stop the European or American japan middle distance champs coming down to oz for the Cox Plate?? Frankel never even left England as a comparison.
Aransan
Roar Rookie
Winx is a better horse than Black Caviar because she has competed successfully over distances where the competition has been stronger. Phar lap, Maybe Diva, So You Think and Black Caviar all raced overseas. Black Caviar didn't need to do that to prove she was the world's best as our sprinters are world best. It is a pity Winx was never given the chance to show how good she was on the world stage and if she had then a more accurate assessment could have been made comparing her with other international horses of the ages. Owners have to understand that trainers don't like to let go of their top horses and Peter Moody deserves great credit for racing horses such as Black Caviar and her uncle Magnus at Royal Ascot.
Kangas
Roar Rookie
Went to see Winx which was fantastic and introduced the kids to the great sport of racing . I didn’t see Kingston town , but I’ve seen Sunline , lonhro , saintly night and power etc and Winx would run them down . Matt You got a big wrap on the up and comers in the Lawrence stakes , and maybe you will be proved correct . Showtime had the fitness edge as did jungle edge , but I was expecting more from some of the rest . Showtime finished well behind peirarta and kemenentari 2 weeks ago and now goes and wins a group 1 against the Melbourne herd . I guess it’s ridiculous that Sydney and Melbourne can both have a wfa group 1 on the same weekend. From the chasing pack . Dargento looks to be followed. Le Romain win was fantastic and I’d throw him in the Everest before kemenentari. Futooh and Irikandji look set for better races in the 3 year olds . Follow Ross stitt trained Fair Dinkum . Especially if it gets sent to Sydney.