Winx faces toughest test in years in Queen Elizabeth Stakes, says jockey Hugh Bowman
THE bookies have Winx at unbackable odds but her rider, Hugh Bowman, believes the mighty mare faces one of the toughest tests of her career in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes on Saturday.
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THE bookies have Winx at unbackable odds but her rider, Hugh Bowman, believes the mighty mare faces one of the toughest tests of her career in the Group 1 $4 million Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
“On form alone, it’s probably the hardest task she has had for quite some time and when I say that, I mean a couple of years — probably her first Cox Plate (2015),’’ Bowman said. “It is going to be one helluva race.’’
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He was speaking at Rosehill trackwork on Thursday morning, where he rode Winx in a strong piece of work wide out on the course proper.
“She’s in great order and I’m really happy with how she has come through the George Ryder win,” he said.
“Her work here on Tuesday morning was absolutely outstanding.
“I enjoy the morning trackwork the most because it’s a time when it’s just me and her. I can feel all the power. I get to let her extend and there is no pressure.”
But Bowman knows he is a man under pressure on Saturday as Winx attempts her 25th consecutive win to equal Black Caviar’s record.
Winx is a $1.15 TAB Fixed Odds favourite for Sydney’s richest race of the autumn carnival, with Humidor next at $12, Gailo Chop at $14 and Happy Clapper at $15.
“Usually there is one main horse to be focused on as opposition, but this week there is three or four or maybe even five that are primed for their target,’’ Bowman said.
“They are over a suitable distance and racing in the form of their lives.
“If Gailo Chop is allowed to control things to his liking, he will take some running down. If the pressure is right on, he might be feeling the pinch from the 200-300m mark. But if that’s the case, a horse like Humidor or Ambitious, who I thought was very impressive in the Tancred Stakes, will be capitalising on the genuine pace.’’
Bowman said it was important he judged the pace right early in the race.
“I want to have Winx close enough if they go slow but not too close if they go fast,’’ he said.
“I don’t want to over-analyse it, but the bottom line is that there are horses there, no matter how it is run, that are going to perform very, very well.”
Winx starts from the outside barrier in gate 10, which Bowman countered “is better than barrier one”.
“If I could have had my pick I would have chosen four to six, similar to last year, but it is what it is,” he said. “The reason I ride her a little differently to most horses is that she has more of an engine than most horses.
“It comes down to judging the speed of the race and having her comfortable and if she’s comfortable, we’ve all seen what she is capable of doing. The quicker the race is run, the more comfortable it is for me because she relaxes very well.
“The more of a test it is, the better she performs because her cruising speed is so much higher than any other horse that I’ve ever had anything to do with.
“If they go fast from the outset, it really plays into her hands. However, if they don’t go fast and it develops into a sprint home, she is capable of overcoming that, too.”
Trainer Chris Waller echoed Bowman’s belief that Winx was capable of overcoming what obstacles were presented to her during the race.
He also was quick to quash claims that the Queen Elizabeth Stakes could be Winx’s final race.
“Definitely not. It hasn’t discussed with the owners. We haven’t even spoken about. I can speak on behalf of the owners that she is certainly not going to be retired tomorrow. It’s absolute rubbish,” Waller told RSN this morning.
Owners enjoy the ride with ‘Miss Popularity’
WHERE the Prime Minister can’t seem to put a foot right, Winx doesn’t seem to put one wrong. In the week that Malcolm Turnbull lost his 30th straight Newspoll to equal former PM Tony Abbott’s mark, Winx can equal Black Caviar’s record of 25 consecutive wins in the Group 1 $4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
There was no betting about Mr Turnbull’s losing Newspoll streak continuing and there is virtually no betting about Winx maintaining her famous winning streak.
Winx is clearly the winner in this popularity stakes and she is $1.15 with TAB Fixed Odds to extend her famous winning sequence, improve her world record of Group 1 wins to 18 and take her career earnings to a staggering $18.8m.
These are remarkable statistics and adds weight to the growing debate about Winx’s place in the pantheon of all-time greats.
Richard Treweeke, one of Winx’s part-owners, saw Bernborough race. He saw Tulloch. He’s seen Kingston Town, Octagonal, Might And Power, Sunline, Lonhro, Makybe Diva and Black Caviar. But, without a hint of bias, he said he had never seen a racehorse like Winx.
“I’ve seen all the champions but Winx is the best ever, she is a freak,’’ Treweeke said.
“If she makes a mistake in a race she corrects it, she’s got so much speed, a great trainer and jockey. She is incredible.
“It’s a privilege to race her. Sometimes I think this can’t be true. I’m going to wake up one day and realise this is all a dream.’’
Debbie Kepitis has been in racing all her life. Her father, Bob Ingham, raced Octagonal and Lonhro, but being an owner of Winx is a surreal experience.
“Winx has opened a lot of doors and taken us to some amazing places,’’ Kepitis said.
“We have met a lot of people we would never have come in contact with.
“People want to stop and talk to you about Winx wherever you go. She brings so much joy to so many people who may not have had anything to do with racing before.
“I will go to a meeting and won’t know people there and they will say you are the lady on TV with Winx. It is incredible the impact she is having. Dad is so proud. He watches everything Winx does and he gets tears in his eyes because he just thinks it is wonderful.’’
Peter Tighe had raced horses for more than 25 years without a Group 1 winner — and then along came Winx.
“We are not buying jumbo jets but Winx has changed our lives in a lot of other ways,’’ Tighe said. “Winx is such a feel-good story. The trainer, jockey, the kids at the stable, they love doing their job and they work very hard, but Winx gives them so much more satisfaction and appreciation for their hard work.
“There is also a lot of fanfare about Winx, more a heightened sense for the horse, really.
“I get a lot more journalists ringing for interviews. People want to know everything about her and the media want more and more information.
“We are happy to give that, we are not worried about that, because we know how much the public enjoys watching her race.
“I’m always having conversations with the bloke at the post office or at the pub about her best win, her best race. It’s humbling to think the public care so much for her.’’
Treweeke has not been in the best of health of late but expects to be trackside when Winx races into history at Royal Randwick.
“I hope to be there,’’ Treweeke said. “I’ve been getting very dizzy but I’m OK at the moment. This is a big race and we would like to win it.’’
Treweeke isn’t superstitious — “I just scream and yell when she runs” — but Kepitis will be keeping to her proven race-day routine.
Kepitis always wears the same purple and black dress when Winx races — and she is not about to change.
“I am very superstitious,’’ she said. “Since Winx started on her winning streak, I’ve worn the same dress every start except the Epsom Handicap, when I wore a black and white dress.
“I didn’t realise until after I got to the track that day that I had the wrong dress but thankfully she won.’’
Winx started her famous winning run in the Sunshine Coast Guineas nearly three years ago, the only race Kepitis has missed being trackside to watch her champion.
“I was at the Scone races that day but I had the purple dress on,’’ she said. “The first horse I raced in my colours was called Woppitt and after she won a couple of races, I bought a necklace.
“When I want some luck, I wear that necklace to the races. I’ve worn it every time Winx has raced.”
Tighe said he didn’t have any superstitions except to enjoy it when Winx is racing.
“I try to get to every race she has had, I’ve only missed the one,’’ he recalled.
“It was when she resumed in the Theo Marks Stakes and came from last to win.
“We were down in Melbourne as we had a prior engagement and I remember watching the race wishing I was there.
“I’ve made sure nothing stops us from watching Winx race ever since.’’
Tighe said he watched Black Caviar twice during her spectacular career and never imagined any horse would challenge her 25-race winning record but, within five years, Winx is poised to equal that celebrated feat.
“It is amazing that it has happened so quickly after Black Caviar, but all records are made to be broken,’’ Tighe said.
“I didn’t think anyone would get near Black Caviar’s 25 wins and if we are lucky enough to get 25 wins (Saturday) then it is a different record because Black Caviar was never beaten.
“Eventually, some horse will come along and break Winx’s records, too.’’
Although Mr Turnbull’s latest poll was as certain as night following day, don’t tell Winx’s owners that the Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a foregone conclusion. Winx may be at unbackable odds but she is up against some quality opposition — including Doncaster Mile winner Happy Clapper, Humidor, Ambitious, Gailo Chop and Success Days — who will ensure the Queen Elizabeth is a tough race.
“This race has so many good horses in the field,’’ Kepitis said. “It is not a snack, it is not a given. Winx is going to have to work for it and we hope and pray she can do what she does best. In racing, you have to respect the opposition and you need to be a realist, you have to be prepared for the losses.
“When it doesn’t it is a relief, but if it does you just have to deal with it.’’
Tighe admitted he had thought about the day Winx gets beaten: “I want to be a gracious winner and a gracious loser.
“I would like to be congratulating the winner as much as people congratulate us.”