Australia's wonder mare Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) rolled to her 12th-straight win in Saturday's G1 Caulfield S., setting her up for a title defense of the A$3.5-million G1 Cox Plate in two weeks' time. Just two rivals dared to take on Winx in the 2000-metre Caulfield S., and thus it was always going to be a tactical race. Black Heart Bart (Aus) (Blackfriars {Aus}), a dual Group 1 winner this season, broke from the rail and took up the running, setting a slow tempo with this season's three-time Group 1 bridesmaid He Or She (Aus) (Kendel Star {Aus}) on his tail and Winx on that one's outside. Black Heart Bart continued to lob along at a canter down the backstretch about two lengths to the better, increasing the pace on the run into the turn. Winx remained a formidable presence in his slipstream, with He Or She dropping back to sit a further two lengths behind her. Cruising up to draw even with Black Heart Bart as the pair swung wide into the straight, Winx drew clear in midstretch when given the cue by Hugh Bowman, hitting the wire two lengths clear of a valiant Black Heart Bart.
Saturday, Caulfield, Australia
CAULFIELD S.-G1, A$524,750, MRC, 10-08, 3yo/up, Open Weight For Age, 2000mT, 2:03.42, Good.
1–WINX, 57.0, m, 5, by Street Cry (Ire)
1st Dam: Vegas Showgirl (NZ) (MSW & GSP-NZ, $172,062), by Al Akbar
2nd Dam: Vegas Magic, by Voodoo Rhythm (USA)
3rd Dam: Vegas Street (NZ), by Sovereign Edition (IRE)
(A$230,000 Ylg 2013 MM Gold Coast Yearling Sale) O-Magic
Bloodstock Racing (Mgr: P G Tighe), R G Treweeke & Mrs D N
Kepitis; B-Fairway Thoroughbreds NSW; T-C J Waller; J-J
Bowman; A$362,750. Lifetime Record: Horse of the Year & Ch. Middle Distance Horse-Aus, 22-16-3-0, A$7,498,175. *1/2 to El
Divino (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), GSW-Aus, $132,775. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+++
*Triple Plus*.
2–Black Heart Bart, 59.0, g, 6, Blackfriars–Sister Theresa, by At
Talaq (USA). O-K B Renner, C R Delacy, A Psaltis, I McCarthy &
Mrs D A Richardson; B-Durham Lodge Thoroughbred Stud WA;
T-D K Weir; J-B Rawiller; A$108,000.
3–He or She, 59.0, g, 6, Kendel Star–Danessa, by West Point.
O-A R & Mrs B A Macalister, V T Sigley, F Brown, R C Pearson,
G Lechte, J Lechte, Seymour Bloodstock (Mgr: D Thomas), M K
Dawson, R Ford & A F M Panozzo; B-Mr VT Sigley WA; T-D & B
Hayes & T Dabernig; J-Craig Williams; A$54,000.
Margins: 2.0 len, 6.0 len, len. Odds: 0.25, 3.80, 20.00
Click for the Racing Post result. VIDEO.
This time a year ago, Winx had just begun to indicate she could be something special, having won her second Group 1 in taking fashion when besting the boys in the G1 Epsom H. She proved the hype to be true next out, besting international Group 1 globetrotters Criterion (NZ) (Sebring {Aus}) and Highland Reel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) by nearly five lengths in the G1 Cox Plate. She lived up to expectations last term as well, sauntering away with all four starts–including three Group 1s–culminating in a breathtaking win in the G1 Doncaster Mile at The Championships when she closed from a nearly impossible position to score with her usual panache. Rested for the Australian winter thereafter, it has been business as usual for Winx this term, with a first-up win over Hartnell (GB) (Authorized {Ire}) in the G2 Warwick S. Aug. 20 followed by a facile score in the G1 Colgate Optic White (George Main) S. Sept. 17. Saturday's win sets Winx up for a rematch with Hartnell–who has been impressive in the G2 Chelmsford S., G2 Hill S. and G1 Turnbull S. since being beaten by Winx in the Warwick–in the Oct. 22 G1 Cox Plate.
“I think it's great for racing,” said Winx's trainer Chris Waller of the impending rematch. “There's some really good horses coming together over the next few weeks and I think it's going to be a great carnival. It's a privilege to be involved in racing with a horse capable of racing on these days.”
“To race a horse like Winx it takes it another level,” Waller added. “She's a superior horse and she'll be ready to step up in two weeks' time. Bring on the world. It's not only Hartnell [in the Cox Plate]. There will be some great horses in the race.”
Winx's regular rider Hugh Bowman added, “There wasn't much pace early but everyone predicted that. But I was able to follow Brad [Rawiller on Black Heart Bart] and he built the speed at the 1100-metre mark, which suited me as it allowed my mare to get into a nice rhythm. It was always going to be a sprint home and that's why I switched out at the 600. She got a little uncomfortable on the corner which Sydney horses can do here at Caulfield.”
“Bring on the Cox Plate now in two weeks' time,” Bowman added.
Pedigree Notes…
Winx is the second foal out of Vegas Showgirl, a two-time stakes winner and Group 3-placed in New Zealand. Bred by John Camilleri of Fairway Thoroughbreds, Winx was sold for A$230,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in 2013. Winx was followed by an unraced half-brother by Fastnet Rock (Aus) named Win Win Leader (Aus), and her 3-year-old half-brother, El Divino (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}), retained to race by Camilleri, earned 'TDN Rising Star' status on debut for trainer Gai Waterhouse before dead-heating for the win in last term's G3 Kindergarten S. Winx's 2-year-old brother, also by Snitzel, will join El Divino in the Waterhouse yard after being bought by the trainer on behalf of Emirates Park Stud for A$2.3-million to top this year's Inglis Easter Yearling Sale. Vegas Showgirl recently foaled a filly by Snitzel at Segenhoe Stud.
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