Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}), Australia's 17-time Group 1 winner and the world's co-highest rated horse, will not embark on an international campaign this year and will instead target a record fourth G1 Cox Plate win in the spring, trainer Chris Waller announced on Wednesday. Winx's connections were, as promised, announcing their decision in the wake of her 24th straight victory in last weekend's G1 George Ryder S. after fielding invitations from plenty of jurisdictions and carnivals, including Royal Ascot. The 6-year-old Winx will race next in the G1 Queen Elizabeth S. at The Championships on Apr. 14, looking to defend her 2017 crown in the A$4-million race.
“Following lengthy discussions between the owners, [jockey] Hugh Bowman and I, it has been decided that Winx will remain in Australia following the Queen Elizabeth S. and not embark on an international campaign,” Waller said. “It is our plan to continue to race her into the spring and hopefully Australia can play host to international visitors during our carnival. We are humbled by the level of support, respect and compassion that has been offered by the international representatives looking to attract Winx and congratulate each of them on the professionalism displayed towards us during this process.”
“As a group we have all held ambitions to travel horses internationally and it has been our dream to have a horse race in front of Her Majesty The Queen at Royal Ascot, however this decision is not about us and must be based on the best interests of Winx,” Waller added. “We have been overwhelmed by the following she has attracted in Australia and across the globe and we understand her fans all want to see her race in their respective racing jurisdictions. When contemplating a decision on her future there were a diverse range of matters to be considered, from wellbeing risks associated with travel to seasonal changes her hormones may undertake. As her trainer, it is my responsibility to continue to carefully manage her career as it enters the twilight phase and this has seen in depth dialogue between her owners and I as our joint decision was made.”
Winx, who has won 28 of 34 races, will look to tie Black Caviar (Aus) (Bel Esprit {Aus})'s Australian record of 25 consecutive wins in the Queen Elizabeth. Black Caviar, unbeaten through her career, herself traveled to Royal Ascot, where she won the G1 Diamond Jubilee S. in 2012 despite returning a rating well below her best.
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