A third Cox Plate win during the 2017 Melbourne Spring Carnival won’t be the end of super star Winx’s record breaking career.
Winx, above, is set to race on into the 2018 Sydney Autumn Carnival. Photo by Steve Hart.
Winx is the winner of twenty-four races, and claimed her twentieth straight win in the Group 1 $500,000 Colgate Optic White Stakes (George Main Stakes) (1600m) at Randwick last Saturday.
Trainer Chris Waller announced today that Winx will head to Melbourne for her next start in the Group 1 $500,000 Seppelt Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 7 as a final lead up run to the Group 1 $3m Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) at The Valley on October 28.
Winx is the winner of the last two runnings of the Cox Plate and another victory in the ‘Weight For Age Championship’ would see her equal the long standing record of the legendary Kingston Town who rattled off three consecutive wins in 1980, 1981 and 1982.
“All bodes well heading towards the 2017 Ladbrokes Cox Plate and after giving careful consideration to her current racing campaign it is likely her next run will be at Flemington on October 7 in the G1 Seppelt Turnbull Stakes,” Waller said in a statement today.
“The sole reason for running here as the most likely option is simply based on the timing of the current program, which will provide her with 3 weeks between runs from the George Main to the Turnbull and another 3 weeks into the Cox Plate for her 5th run of the campaign. Whilst this is her intended path, if she was not to run in the Turnbull it would be my intentions to run in the Craven Plate on October 14 at Royal Randwick before heading to Melbourne in preparation for the Ladbrokes Cox Plate.”
Waller has already made temporary plans for Winx’s 2018 Autumn Campaign with a second Group 1 $4m Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick already on the agenda while a possible campaign in England is also being considered at the end of the 2018 Autumn Carnival.
“To ease speculation on her future beyond 2017, I look forward to the Autumn and a possible trip overseas but at this stage no decision on this will be made until after the George Ryder Stakes in 2018,” Waller said.
“During her 20-race winning streak, she has raced on 2 occasions in Brisbane, 3 occasions in Melbourne and 15 times in Sydney but obviously internationally racing possesses a great deal of appeal.”
“Providing she is well she will either run during The Championships in the G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes and look to target a race during the Royal Ascot Carnival or be freshened up subsequent to the George Ryder Stakes and be targeted towards a European campaign containing 3 races over a range of distances.”
Waller said that he intended to remove the ear muffs from Winx at her next start in the Turnbull Stakes after wearing them to victory in her last two outings in the Group 2 $250,000 Tattersalls Club Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on September 2 and in the George Main Stakes.
The premiership winning trained opted to race Winx in the ear muffs after she missed the start at her first run back this campaign before going on to win the Group 2 $250,000 Warwick Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on August 19.
Bookies at Ladbrokes.com.au have Winx marked at $1.50 to win her third Cox Plate with her closest rival in the betting being the James Cummings trained Hartnell and last Saturday’s Makybe Diva Stakes winner Humidor at $21.
Early market order for the 2017 Ladbrokes Cox Plate at Ladbrokes.com.au: $1.50 Winx, $21 Hartnell, Humidor, $26 Egg Tart, Tosen Stardom, Royal Symphony, $41 Almandin, Bonneval, Catchy, Deauville, Gailo Chop, Happy Clapper, Redkirk Warrior, Vega Magic, $51 or better the rest.
