Wonderful Winx breaks more records
In the race formerly known as the Warwick Stakes but renamed in her honour, Winx won for the third straight year to record her 30th victory and 26th straight success, going past the great unbeaten sprinting mare Black Caviar (Bel Esprit), whose 25 was the Australian record.
This was also a 19th Group 1 win for Winx, a world record in Flat racing since the international Pattern system of grading came into being in the 1970s.
It is tempting in searching for superlatives to describe Winx to use the word “freak” but this well-conformed if somewhat plain-looking mare is not a freak but freakish in her ability, acceleration and longevity, a tribute to the skill and management of her trainer Chris Waller. Unusually, Winx has a shorter stride than most top-class racehorses so takes more steps without tiring than most others to achieve her spectacular victories.
On Saturday, Winx settled well back in the field before showing her dazzling turn of foot in the straight to quickly gather in the leaders, hitting the front 100 metres out to win easing down by a contemptuous two lengths from longshot Invictus Prince (Dansili) with another length to her third placed stablemate D’Argento (So You Think). Second favourite Kementari (Lonhro) was close up in fourth place, perhaps a shade disappointing as he failed to show his usual ability to quicken when asked. Race time was 1:22.50 with the last 600 metres run in 33.36.
Winx is expected to run next at Randwick in the Colgate White Optic Stakes (registered as the George Main Stakes) (Gr 1, 1600m) on September 15, with her main spring goal to win a record fourth successive Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) at Moonee Valley in Melbourne on October 27.
The pedigree of Winx was reviewed in this feature as she was beginning her winning streak in 2015 but so much has happened since that it is timely to revisit the key aspects of her breeding background as she has taken her earnings to more than $19 million.
Bred in NSW by Fairway Thoroughbreds, Winx was included in the Coolmore Stud draft at the 2013 Magic Millions January Yearling Sale at the Gold Coast where she was knocked down to the bid of part-owner Magic Bloodstock for the not inconsiderable price of $230,000.
Winx is the second foal of her dam Vegas Showgirl (Al Akbar) whose first foal Miss Atom Bomb (Encosta De Lago), now dam of a winner, was unraced.
Since foaling Winx, Vegas Showgirl has produced the 2012 unraced gelding Win Win Leader (Fastnet Rock), the ill-fated El Divino (Snitzel), who dead-heated with Astern (Medaglia d’Oro) in the ATC Kindergarten Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m), unraced Boulder City (Snitzel), a high priced yearling now at stud in Victoria, unraced two-year-old filly Courcheval (Snitzel) and a yearling filly, Covent Garden (Exceed And Excel). After missing last season, it is understood Vegas Showgirl is now in Japan to be mated with champion sire Deep Impact (Sunday Silence).
Vegas Showgirl was a very talented performer, a winner of seven races, including two Listed events, up to 1400 metres and also registered four stakes placings, among them a third in the STC Sheraco Stakes (Listed, 1100m) in Sydney and was fourth in the Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m). These performances earned Vegas Showgirl the position of third top filly on the 2004/05 New Zealand Free Handicap for two-year-olds.
Al Akbar, sire of Vegas Showgirl, although bred in Australia, is not a familiar name to many Australian breeders but this well bred son of the influential Success Express (Hold Your Peace) was a top class galloper with six stakes wins to his credit, notably the 1993 Bayer Classic (Gr 1,1600m) at Levin and the 1994 STC Canterbury Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) in which he defeated Big Dreams (Habituate) and the short-lived sire Just Awesome (Last Tycoon).
From limited opportunities Al Akbar, who died in 2008, left 17 stakes winners, best of them the 2002 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Hustler, Bridie Belle, Alagant Satin and O’Ceirins Angel.
Winx comes from a family developed by New Zealand’s renowned but now closed Ra Ora Stud with her third dam Vegas Street a daughter of Ra Ora’s champion sire Sovereign Edition (Sovereign Path) and her fourth dam Vegas, a half-sister to top sprinter El Khobar (Gabador), by Stunning (Stardust), another successful Ra Ora Stud sire.
Street Cry (Machiavellian), the sire of Winx, did his racing on dirt, his signature victory coming in the 2002 Dubai World Cup (Gr 1, 2000m). Champion sire in Australia, he has to date left 122 stakes winners throughout the world with three of his finest products being the mares Winx, Zenyatta (19 successive wins in the United States) and Australian bred Oh Susanna in South Africa.
Winx is an outcross within five generations and, unusually these days, carries only one line of Northern Dancer (Nearctic) via her dam with her sire from the male line of Mr. Prospector (Raise A Native). Hornbeam (Hyperion) is duplicated in her background, something she shares with last week’s Pedigree Page subject, Sandbar.