The G1 Star Doncaster Mile Saturday at Randwick is all about whether Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) can extend her current eight-race winning streak and it looks to be the first part of an ambitious double play for glory at The Championships, as Chris Waller's star filly is also engaged in next Saturday's G1 Queen Elizabeth II S.
The biggest threat to her continued domination could come from within her own stable as she is again set to face her G1 George Ryder S. runner-up Kermadec (NZ) (Teofilo {Ire}), the winner of last year's Doncaster Mile who has been knocking on the door with two decent-placed finishes since resuming from a four-month absence.
Another Teofilo representative, Patrick Webster's Happy Clapper (Aus), has also posted two decent runs following his victory on Dec. 12 in the G2 Inglis Villiers S. He was just half a length behind the filly First Seal (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) when the pair filled the fourth and fifth places in the George Ryder, following First Seal's good second in the G1 Canterbury S. on Mar. 5. She has the distinction of twice having beaten Winx when they met back in 2014 and the Raffles Racing homebred, who represents a partnership involving her breeder and the China Horse Club, was last successful in the G2 Galmet Millie Fox S. on Feb. 20.
Another of the four fillies in the line-up is the admirably consistent Azkadellia (NZ) (Shinko King {Ire}), who has only once finished out of the first three in 12 starts and has been in terrific form for the Ciaron Maher stable this autumn. She posted a win in the G3 Mannerism S. at Caulfield at the end of February followed by a close second in the G1 Coolmore Classic three weeks ago at Rosehill.
The Irish-bred challenger Bow Creek (Ire) (Shamardal) has clearly enjoyed his switch from Charlie Appleby's Newmarket stable to that of his Godolphin Australia counterpart John O'Shea and won Caulfield's G2 Peter Young S. on Feb. 27. His eighth-place finish in the Australian Cup belies the fact that he was only two lengths off the winner, Preferment (NZ), and he may well benefit from being dropped back to a mile, over which distance he has previously won two Group 2 events in England and Ireland.
This event is a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita Nov. 5.
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