Six-time Group 1 winner Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) pleased trainer Chris Waller with a fourth-place finish in an 850-metre trial over Randwick's Kensington track on Friday. Breaking evenly from the inside barrier in the field of 10 under raceday rider Hugh Bowman, the soon-to-be 5-year-old mare traveled strongly on the fence about six lengths off the lead over the heavy going through the early stages. Bowman sat motionless as the field turned into the straight and allowed last year's G1 Cox Plate winner to coast home, checking in fourth, about four lengths off the trial winner Smart Volatility (Aus) (Danewin {Aus}), who clocked a time of :50.50 (video).
“She's pulled up very well,” Waller later told Racing.com's Racing Ahead. “I think it's good for all of us to get the nerves and twitches out of the system. We've come through this morning really well.”
Addressing Winx's forward positioning on Friday, Waller said, “People often think she's a backmarker; it's mainly because she's had wide barriers, why she's raced back in some of those races,” he said. “As we saw in the Cox Plate, she's pretty adaptable and I guess that's one of her strong points. She's very easy to ride, train and obviously to support on the betting front.”
Waller told Racing Ahead Winx would have another trial prior to her intended spring opener, the G2 Warwick S. on Aug. 20. He cautioned, however, that if the going turned up heavy for the Warwick she could skip that contest and head straight to the G1 Memsie S.
“I'd be cautious over a Heavy 10 track or something like that and there's always the Memsie the week later, but at this stage [the Warwick] is our first preference,” Waller said.
Winx has not been beaten since winning the G3 Sunshine Coast Guineas last May, and her current nine-race win streak includes last year's G1 Epsom H. and Cox Plate, and this year's G1 Chipping Norton S., G1 George Ryder S. and G1 Doncaster Mile when last seen Apr. 2.
Winx's trial, which was just one of 19 staged Friday morning, also included the Godolphin Group 1 winners Hartnell (GB) (Authorized {Ire}) and Magic Hurricane (Ire) (Hurricane Run {Ire}), who finished eighth and ninth, respectively, and trainer John O'Shea said of Hartnell, “We were very happy with his trial; he did everything right. He hit the line under full steam and jockey Blake Shinn was very impressed with the way he performed.”
'TDN Rising Stars' Square Off In Trial Heat…
The other major attraction of the Randwick trials was the meeting of 'TDN Rising Stars' Capitalist (Aus) (Written Tycoon {Aus}) and El Divino (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) in the morning's third heat, also over 850 metres. There was some drama prior to the start as the Godolphin entrant Calliope (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) reared and broke through the gate, setting off El Divino and his Gai Waterhouse-trained stablemate Scarlet Rain (Aus) (Manhattan Rain {Aus}), who followed suit. The three juveniles were quickly reined in by their riders and re-loaded, but Calliope was scratched after again rearing and casting herself in the barriers.
The heat went off without a hitch thereafter, with El Divino breaking fastest from the outside barrier but allowing Scarlet Rain to take up the lead to his inside. The G1 Golden Slipper and Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner Capitalist settled about a half-length off El Divino's heels, and cruised up on that rival's outside turning into the straight. Both colts were allowed to do a little more than Winx had, given a shake of the reins by their riders approaching the finish, and Capitalist stuck his head in front at the 50-metre mark to get the win in a time of :49.90 (video). Scarlet Rain stuck on for third.
Trainer by Peter and Paul Snowden, Capitalist was tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' after winning the prestigious Listed Breeders' Plate on debut last October, and last term added the A$2-million Magic Millions 2YO Classic and A$3.5-million G1 Golden Slipper. He has not been seen since the latter victory Mar. 19, and his primary spring target will be the G1 Coolmore Stud S. at the Melbourne Cup Carnival.
El Divino, a half-brother to Winx who is raced by their breeder, John Camilleri, earned Rising Star status with a near five-length debut victory at Gosford just two days before Capitalist's Slipper score. The bay kept his unbeaten record intact in his only other outing to date, a dead-heat win with Godolphin's highly rated Astern (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro) in the G3 Kindergarten S. on opening day of The Championships Apr. 2.
The trial heat was also expected to include another 'TDN Rising Star' in Weatherly (Aus) (Beneteau {Aus}), but the Listed Talindert S. winner had to undergo surgery on Thursday for an entrapped epiglottis. The procedure will see him sidelined for three weeks and he will therefore miss his intended season-opener, the G1 Golden Rose Sept. 10. He will instead target the Coolmore Stud S.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
