Winx, generally regarded as one of the greatest equine athletes ever to look through a bridal, takes her final bow Saturday at Royal Randwick Racecourse, in suburban Sydney.
The “mare beyond compare,†now age 7, is in search of a 33rd straight victory as a farewell celebration on her way to her next career as a broodmare.
Winx will face eight rivals in her last race. In the AU$4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes, she’ll break from the far outside post. The distance on the turf is 2000 meters (just less than 1 1/4 mile).
Her most recent career highlight was an easy win just two weeks ago in the George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill Garden.
Ready to Add to Massive Bankroll
A win means the Chris Waller trainee will have won this race for the third consecutive time and retires with a $26 million AUS bankroll from 43 starts. As usual, jockey Hugh Bowman will be astride the champion.
Co-owner Peter Tighe told reporters at the draw. “We prefer to be wider than in close (to the inside) to eliminate the problems you might get early in a race, and Hugh’s always been happy to be out of trouble,”
Winx faces familiar rivals Happy Clapper and Hartnell, who have given the daughter of Street Cry some tense moments during her long winning streak. The Japan-based Kluger and He’s Eminent, formerly based in Europe, are getting their first chance to line up against her.
Bookmakers believe the competition has little chance of defeating Winx, opening her as a prohibitive favorite at the time of the draw at just at $1.06 – that’s just six cents profit for every dollar wagered.
Breeding Partner Still Undetermined
“I just want to get to Saturday morning, and I’ve done my job getting her there safely,†Waller told reporters. “We’ve chosen to have an extra preparation and we want go out with a fairytale ending.”
Winx, unlike some earlier champions from Australia such as Phar Lap racing in Mexico in the 1930’s and, more recently Black Caviar a perfect 25 for 25 in her career including a win at Royal Ascot in England, has never raced in the Northern Hemisphere.
Post time in the US is 11:05 p.m. ET. Friday night and can be viewed on TVG and most US advanced deposit wagering platforms.
Winx’s connections have not indicated what stallion might be bred to their daughter of Street Cry.
