Super mare Winx is on track to better unbeaten records of More Joyous, Sunline
THE sport has been blessed with some extraordinary race mares this century including Sunline, Makybe Diva, More Joyous, Black Caviar … and now Winx.
Horse Racing
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News.
THE sport has been blessed with some extraordinary race mares this century including Sunline, Makybe Diva, More Joyous, Black Caviar … and now Winx.
Sunline, Makybe Diva, More Joyous and Black Caviar were all great mares and each had huge followings with race fans.
Winx is not quite in their league yet but the mare’s popularity continues to soar with every victory and she made it seven wins in succession in the Chipping Norton Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.
Winx has surpassed Makybe Diva’s longest winning streak (six wins) and if she maintains her winning momentum next start in either the George Ryder Stakes or Emancipation Stakes, she will equal the eight-race winning sequence achieved by both Sunline and More Joyous. Black Caviar’s unbeaten 25-race record remains untouchable.
It is interesting that trainer Chris Waller isn’t prepared to rate Winx a champion just yet but surely the mighty mare is poised to earn that ranking probably before the end of the Sydney autumn carnival.
A win in the $4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) on Day Two of The Championships at Royal Randwick on April 9 seems the clincher. She is already into $2.30 to win Sydney’s richest race.
BOW CREEK FIRMS FOR AUSTRALIAN CUP
WINX seems to have her weight-for-age rivals in Sydney covered but Bow Creek emerged as a genuine threat with his impressive Peter Young Stakes win at Caulfield.
Bow Creek is from the all-powerful Godolphin stable of John O’Shea and the imported galloper is now into $3.50 favouritism for the Australian Cup at Flemington in two weeks.
Waller will be able to get a handle on Bow Creek‘s ability as he confirmed Preferment, coming off a very good fourth to Winx in the Chipping Norton, will go to the Australian Cup.
FAVOURITE’S SALUTE
THE extraordinary statistic to come out of Saturday’s Randwick meeting is the continuing domination of favourites in Sydney Group 1 races this season.
Winx was sent out at odds of $1.35 for Chipping Norton Stakes, her second Sydney major this season after winning the Epsom Handicap last spring as the $3.10 favourite.
The other Group 1 races run in Sydney so this season have been won by favourites — Exosphere ($3.10, Golden Rose), Kermadec ($2.35, George Main Stakes), Speak Fondly ($2.30, Flight Stakes), Magic Hurricane ($3.10, The Metropolitan) and Vanbrugh ($2.50, Spring Champion Stakes).
EXTREME EFFORT
WAS Extreme Choice’s effort to win the Blue Diamond more impressive than Capitalist’s Magic Millions romp?
TAB Fixed Odds price assessors saw enough in Extreme Choice’s win at Caulfield on Saturday to elevate him to the top of betting at $3.60 for the $3.5 million Golden Slipper at Rosehill on March 19, displacing long-time favourite Capitalist ($4.60).
Extreme Choice has won his only three starts by comfortable margins and importantly the Melbourne youngster has had the benefit of experience the Sydney way of going, taking out the Inglis Nursery at his debut.
Capitalist is also an unbeaten three-time winner and he gets the opportunity to reclaim Slipper favouritism when he takes on Godolphin’s Astern and Weatherly in the Todman Stakes at Randwick next Saturday.
DARBY DUO SET FOR SLIPPER
SCARLET Rain gives Darby Bloodstock two runners in the Golden Slipper after she led throughout to win the Sweet Embrace Stakes.
Scott Darby paid $100,000 for Scarlet Rain as a yearling before syndicating her to 16 clients and they are enjoying the ride with filly having won each of her three starts.
Darby also purchased and syndicated Yankee Rose who has a barrier trial on Friday before going first-up in the Golden Slipper.
Yankee Rose won her only two starts last spring including the Golden Gift where she defeated Good Standing. This formline looks even stronger now after Good Standing vaulted into Slipper contention with his Skyline Stakes win on Saturday.
RANDWICK’S LIGHTNING TRACK
THE Randwick track was lightning fast with Solicit smashing the 1400m course record winning the Guy Walter Stakes, while unbeaten filly Ghisoni looked to be in cruise control but ran a race record in the Surround Stakes.
There was speculation that either the distance measurements or clocking systems was not properly aligned but Racing NSW chief steward Ray Murrihy said all the initial checks and balances indicated everything was in order.
Murrihy pointed out that Randwick’s track surface has been conducive to very fast times previously when the track rating is around the good three range.
RETIRING STAR
BOBAN, a five-time Group 1 winner of $2.8 million, bled for a second time when unplaced in the Futurity Stakes at Caulfield and cannot race in Australia again.
Similarly at Randwick, Silverball suffered his second bleeding attack and his race career in this country is over when he ran down the track in the Liverpool City Cup. In the same race, Rich Enuff also bled from both nostrils, putting a cloud over his future race career.
Originally published as Super mare Winx is on track to better unbeaten records of More Joyous, Sunline
Insane jockey incident blows minds
Footage of a jockey performing an insane act has forced commentators to come up with a new word for the English language.
Gai’s $2.7m import shows he is Melbourne Cup quality
Sir Delius, a $2.7m purchase, rubber-stamped his Melbourne Cup credentials with an impressive victory at Doomben in his debut for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.