Winx (horse)

Winx (foaled 11 September 2011)^[2] is an Australian Thoroughbred racehorse.

Background

Winx is a bay mare bred in Australia by Fairway Thoroughbreds. She was sired by the Street Cry who won the Dubai World Cup in 2002 before becoming a very successful breeding stallion in North America and Australasia. His other progeny have included Zenyatta, Street Sense, Shocking and Whobegotyou.^[3]

During her racing career she has been owned in partnership by Magic Bloodstock Racing, R G Treweeke and D N Kepitis, and trained by Chris Waller.

Racing career

2013/14: two-year-old season

After two racecourse trials, Winx made her competitive debut on 4 June 2014 and won over 1100 metres at Rosehill Racecourse in Sydney. Later that month, on her second and final race of the season, she won over 1400 metres at Warwick Farm Racecourse.^[2]

2014/15: three-year-old season

As a three-year-old, Winx recorded her first major success when she won the Group 2 Furious Stakes over 1200 metres at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney in September.^[4] She then finished second to First Seal in both the Tea Rose Stakes and the Flight Stakes before being given a summer break.

She finished unplaced twice in February 2015 before winning the Group 2 Phar Lap Stakes over 1500 metres at Rosehill on 14 March.^[5] Two weeks later at the same track she was stepped up in distance and matched against male opponents in the Vinery Stud Stakes but finished unplaced behind Fenway. She started 9/5 favourite for the Australian Oaks over 2400 metres at Randwick on 11 April but was beaten by the 16/1 outsider Gust of Wind. The filly was dropped in class for the Group 3 Sunshine Coast Guineas on 16 May and won by one and three quarter lengths from the colt Ulmann.^[6] On her final appearance of the season she started odds-on favourite for the Group 1 Queensland Oaks on 30 May at Doomben Racecourse and won by three and a half lengths from Ungrateful Ellen.^[7]

2015/16: four-year-old season

After running in a trial at Warwick Farm, Winx began her third season by starting favourite for the Group 2 Theo Marks Handicap over 1300 metres at Rosehill on 12 September and won by a head from the outsider Sons of John. Three weeks later she contested the 150th running of the Epsom Handicap over 1600 metres at Randwick. Starting favourite against thirteen opponents she overcame serious interference on the final turn to win by two and a half lengths from the six-year-old gelding Ecuador.^[8] Her weight of 57 kg was the highest ever carried to victory in the race by a female. Speaking after the race, her trainer Chris Waller commented "For her to pick herself up after that and put herself back in the race before bursting through like she did, it was pretty special. Her winning strike rate separates her from a lot of horses. She overcomes barrier draws, track conditions and distances. She had a long three-year-old year. She has been everywhere and she is still firing. For her to come back as a four-year-old is pretty special."^[9]

On 24 October Winx started favourite for Australia's most prestigious weight-for-age race, the Cox Plate over 2040 metres at Moonee Valley Racecourse. The field included an international element with Highland Reel (Secretariat Stakes) from Ireland, Arod (Diomed Stakes, Summer Mile Stakes) from England and Gailo Chop (Prix Guillaume d'Ornano) from France. The filly raced on the inside rail, broke clear of the field entering the straight and won by four and three quarter lengths from Criterion in a race record time of 2:02.98. After the race, her jockey Hugh Bowman said "She's a group 1 mare, she's a serious racehorse. From the 800 I was very confident".^[10] Waller commented "She is just such an athlete. I never thought when she was a young horse this was where she would get to".^[11]

Pedigree

References