Keeping it in the family

SUPERSTAR Winx has become a big sister again as little brother El Divino prepares to keep the family momentum going in Saturday’s Run To The Rose.

Winx and Hugh Bowman after the super mare made a successful return to racing at Randwick on Saturday. Picture: Jenny Evans

SUPERSTAR Winx has become a big sister again as little brother El Divino prepares to keep the family momentum going in Saturday’s Run To The Rose.

El Divino is unbeaten in two starts and looked good in an exhibition gallop at Randwick on Saturday.

Hugh Bowman will ride him on Saturday and has committed to the Golden Rose in which the colt is an $11 chance with UBET.

Late on Saturday night, Winx’s dam Vegas Showgirl — on the weekend named Australian broodmare of the year — produced a filly by Snitzel at Segenhoe Stud in the Hunter Valley.

Segenhoe manager Peter O’Brien, who looks after breeder John Camilleri’s broodmares, said you could not have wished to have a better foal.

“El Divino was as good a foal as I’ve seen in my lifetime and this filly, if not his equal, is better,” O’Brien said.

Camilleri sold a full-brother to this filly and El Divino for a sale topping $2.3 million at Easter this year, but this one will not be for sale.

New addition: Hugh Bowman with half-sister foal to Winx, who arrived just hours after the nation’s best racehorse enjoyed a runaway win in the Warwick Stakes. Picture: Bronwen Healy and Darren Tindale Photography

El Divino races in Camilleri’s prominent Fairway Thoroughbreds colours, with O’Brien saying trainer Gai Waterhouse was in raptures over the improvement he had made since his unblemished two-start juvenile season.

“Gai is adamant he’s far superior now,” he said.

“He really is an Adonis to look at and a horse of his physique is only going to get better as he matures.”

Bowman was happy with what he felt at Randwick on Saturday.

“I didn’t get much of a feel of him in his second barrier trial because the ground was dreadful and he wasn’t overly comfortable,” Bowman said.

“I was reluctant to push him in that trial but I was pleased with him back on top of the ground today. He’s ready to go.”

No decision has been made on which stallion will be chosen for Vegas Showgirl this year.

“She has thrown three stunning horses by Snitzel, so you would think he will be favourite, but John will make up his mind in the next couple of weeks,” O’Brien said.

El Divino (right) and Prompt response return from an exhibition gallop between races at Royal Randwick. Picture: Jenny Evans

Winx’s part-owner Debbie Kepitis on Sunday described Winx as “a horse of a lifetime” and recalled her father Bob Ingham being in a similar position 20 years ago with Octagonal.

“I know that Dad and (brother) Jack were so proud to have a horse that everyone in all walks of life were talking about. It just gave them huge pride,” she said.

“All the owners in Winx all feel a responsibility to have her there for the public, but we will never do anything that’s not right for her. Winx the horse comes first.

“But if she’s going well, we can get people there. If we can have young people talking about a little horse like Winx, it’s wonderful.”

Originally published as Keeping it in the family