Winx (horse)

Background

Winx is a bay mare bred in Australia by Fairway Thoroughbreds. She was sired by the Irish-bred 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 included Zenyatta, Street Sense, Shocking and Whobegotyou. Winx's dam, Vegas Showgirl, was a stakes winner in New Zealand who was bought by Fairway Thoroughbreds in 2008 as a broodmare prospect for A$455,000.

Winx was sold for $230,000 at the 2013 Magic Millions Gold Coast sale. During her racing career she has been owned in partnership by Magic Bloodstock Racing (managed by Peter Tighe), Richard Treweeke and Debbie Kepitis. She is trained by Chris Waller.

2013/14: two-year-old season

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

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. 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 against male opponents over 1500 metres at Rosehill on 14 March. Two weeks later at the same track she was stepped up in distance for the Vinery Stud Stakes against other fillies 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.

After having earned only one win in her last seven starts, Winx was dropped in class for the Group 3 Sunshine Coast Guineas on 16 May. She trailed the large field as they turned for home but finally found racing room and drew off to win by one and three quarter lengths from the colt Ulmann. "At the 1000m I thought 'This is not good.' At the 600m it was even worse. I was in an impossible position," said jockey Larry Cassidy. "I just made the decision to come to the outside. If I was going to get beat, I didn't want it to be because I was on the inside behind horses. That was just breathtaking."

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.

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. 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."

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". Waller commented "She is just such an athlete. I never thought when she was a young horse this was where she would get to".

Winx earned a rating of 123 for the Cox Plate, which placed her in a tie for eighth in the 2015 World's Best Racehorse Rankings. In comparison to other fillies and mares, she ranked only behind Treve and tied for second with Beholder.

After a three and a half month break, Winx returned in autumn for two races at Randwick. On 13 February she won the Group 2 Apollo Stakes over 1400 metres and was then stepped back up to Group 1 level for 1600 metre Chipping Norton Stakes two weeks later. Starting the odds-on favourite she won by a length and a half from Dibayani with Hauraki a length away in third. Bowman, who had ridden many major winners including So You Think described her as "the best I have had anything to do with" In the George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill on 19 March she again won at short odds, beating Kermadec by one and a half lengths. On 2 April the filly started odds-on favourite for the A$3 million Doncaster Mile at Randwick despite carrying top weight in a fifteen-runner field on unsuitably soft ground. She looked unlikely to obtain a clear run in the straight but broke through in the closing stages to win by two lengths from Happy Clapper. Waller commented, "I'll call her a champion while I can speak. I thought she was beaten at the half-mile. She must have an amazing will to win."

The win in the Doncaster earned Winx a rating of 126 by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), which tied her for the lead in the April 2016 listing of the World's Best Racehorse rankings with California Chrome. "That’s an extraordinarily high figure for a mare," said Racing Victoria’s Chief Handicapper Greg Carpenter. "When you think of the great mares of the last decade, only horses like Black Caviar, Treve, Zenyatta, Rachel Alexandra and Danedream have been able to run to figures of 127 and higher."

Winx was voted the Australian Horse of the Year for 2015/6, receiving all but one vote. She was also named the Champion middle-distance performer.

2016/17: five-year-old season

Winx began her next season in the Warwick Stakes over 1400 metres at Randwick on 20 August. She took the lead 300 metres out and drew away to win by three and half lengths from Hartnell. She was entered in the Chelmsford Stakes on 3 September but scratched due to the heavy going. On 17 September, she won the Group I George Main Stakes (also known as the Colgate Optic White Stakes), pushing her lifetime earnings past the A$7,000,000 mark. She also extended her winning streak to 11, tying her with Kingston Town. "The dream continues," said Waller.

On 8 October, Winx faced only two rivals in the Caulfield Stakes. Black Heart Bart set the early pace, then Winx moved alongside on the turn while on the wrong lead. In the final furlong, she switched to the right lead and drew off.

On 22 October, Winx faced a stiffer challenge in her attempt to defend her 2015 win in the Cox Plate. Her leading rival was Hartnell, whose form had significantly improved since the two met in August in the Warwick, making him the early favorite for the Melbourne Cup. The field also included several other Group One winners such as Black Heart Bart, Hauraki, Lucia Valentina and Yankee Rose. Bowman placed Winx to the outside of Hartnell during the early running then released her with 600 metres remaining. Winx moved to a two length lead at the top of the stretch and continued to draw away, eventually winning by a record eight lengths from Hartnell. It was her thirteenth consecutive win, including nine Group One victories, and took her past Black Caviar and So You Think in career earnings. "We were along way away but we weren't disgraced", said David Vandyke, trainer of Yankee Rose who finished third. "We can say we got beaten by Winx."

Timeform increased her rating to 133p, "with the possibility of even better to come". The IFHA gave her an initial rating of 130, subsequently increased to 132, making her both the top-ranked filly/mare and top-ranked turf horse in the world for 2016. The 132 rating is tied with Black Caviar as the highest rating ever assigned to a filly or mare.

When asked what set Winx apart from other competitors, Bowman said, "She is so well-balanced, light on her feet, and she can accelerate very quickly. But it is her will-to-win and her determination that makes her so good. I’ve never ridden a horse like her."

Winx was given some time off, then returned to training in January 2017. Her next start was the Apollo Stakes at Randwick, originally scheduled for February 11 but delayed to February 13 due to extreme heat in the Sydney area. Winx broke poorly, then settled in mid pack behind a fast early pace. She swung out three-wide leaving the far turn, she pulled away in the stretch to defeat Hartnell by two lengths. "My only worry going into the race was if there was no tempo but that went at a good gallop and that really helped," said Bowman. "Chris [Waller] and his team have done a great job to have her ready after so long away from the races and it's a privilege to be part of this."

On 25 February, Winx returned in the Chipping Norton Stakes. Originally at odds of 1.10, she drifted out slightly to 1.22 because of the heavy going. With the rain still falling shortly before the race, Waller walked the course and determined it was safe for Winx to run. "I was so close to scratching her but we made the right decision. I walked the track before the race and it looked pretty good to me. It was safe and that was my main concern," he said. Although her time was slow, Winx won with ease by two lengths over longshot Lasqueti Spirit. Hartnell did not handle the track and was well back in eighth. "Today the conditions were fair and even," said Bowman, "yeah sure it is wet but everyone is getting their chance and it is just a case of whether your horse can cope with the surface or not. Clearly this mare can."

The win earned Winx a rating of 127 from the IFHA, which tied her with Arrogate for the number one position in the world in the first edition of the World's Best Racehorse rankings for 2017. The victory extended Winx's winning streak to fifteen, surpassing Phar Lap's win streak of fourteen and tying her with Carbine and Bernborough. It was her tenth Group One win and the winner's purse took her earnings to A$9.8 million, third on the Australian all-time list behind Makybe Diva and Sunline.

On 18 March, Winx was entered in the George Ryder Stakes at a distance of 1500m over another rain-soaked course. Her six rivals included sprint champion Chautauqua and Group I winner Le Romain, who was expected to relish the heavy going. Winx settled near the back of the pack after an awkward break, then started making up ground on the outside as they moved around the turn. Once they entered the stretch, Winx drew off easily and won by  7 ¹⁄₄ lengths from Le Romain, with Chautauqua in third. Her share of the purse took her earnings over the A$10 million mark.

Racing Summary

Source: Racenet Profile