Australia’s darling of the turf Winx was voted Australia’s Horse Of The Year for the second time on at a function in Brisbane on Sunday night.
Winx, above, has been voted the Australian Horse Of The Year for a second time. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Winx joins Melbourne Cup winners Makybe Diva and Might And Power, the undefeated Black Caviar and two times Cox Plate winner Sunline as multiple winners of The Horse Of The Year Crown.
Connections of Winx were still on a high after Winx claimed her twenty-first win in a row with a demolition job on her opposition in scoring a six and a half lengths win in the Group 1 $500,000 Seppelt Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington last Saturday.
“It’s just an honour and a privilege to be involved with a horse like this,” Queensland-based part-owner Peter Tighe said.
“Winning these awards means a lot to a lot of people. It’s not just us as the owners. There’s so many people who work at Chris Waller’s stable that make sure she’s at the peak of her powers and awards like this are a great boost for everybody involved with her.”
Tighe reflected on the way that that the people of Melbourne came out to see Winx run at Flemington for the first time and said that the Victoria Racing Club did a tremendous job in promoting the day.
“The club really embraced it, with Winx flags all over the track and they got 21,000 people there to see it,” Tighe said.
“When she came into the mounting yard they were lined up six and seven deep to get a look at her and when she went down the race along the flowers to go on to the track, the crowd moved with her. It was quite incredible to watch. It seemed people just wanted to be close to her.
“When I went back upstairs later on, they told me people started clapping her from the 600m. It was just a great day.”
Trainer Chris Waller now has three weeks to prepare Winx for the Group 1 $3m Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) at The Valley on October 28.
Winx is the winner of the last two running’s of the Cox Plate and a third successive win in the ‘Weight For Age Championship Of Australasia’ will see her equal the record set by the legendary Kingston Town who claimed the trophy in 1980, 1981 and 1982.
The Waller stable has reported that Winx has come through her Turnbull Stakes triumph in great fashion and will now prepare for her main 2017 Spring Carnival goal.
“Remarkably she’s eaten so well last night,” Johanne Taylor (Chris Waller Racing’s Melbourne Foreman) told Racing.com on Sunday.
“We are certainly pleased with the way she presents this morning.
“She’s just had a very quiet morning. She’s had a hand walk with the two gents that look after her and we are all happy at this stage, she is ticking all the boxes.”
Winx dominates the betting for the Cox Plate at $1.25 at Ladbrokes.com.au with her nearest rivals in the market order being the Epsom Handicap winner Happy Clapper and multiple Group 1 winner Hartnell at $21.
Early market order for the 2017 Cox Plate at Ladbrokes.com.au: $1.25 Winx, $21 Happy Clapper, Hartnell, $26 Gingernuts, Humidor, Royal Symphony, $34 Egg Tart, Gailo Chop, Taj Mahal, $41 Almandin, Bonneval, Catchy, Tosen Stardom, $51 or better the rest.
