Champion mare Winx dominates the betting for today’s Group 2 $250,000 Tattersalls Club Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) at Randwick with no other runner in the twelve horse field showing any signs of challenging her.
Winx, above, is unchallenged in the betting for the Chelmsford Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.
The Chris Waller trained Winx sits way out on top of the market order at Ladbrokes.com.au at $1.09 with her closest rival in the betting being the Kris Lees trained Sense Of Occasion at $19.
Even though Sense Of Occasion has firmed in from $26 to $19, he is nowhere near Winx who is chasing her nineteenth win on the trot in the Chelmsford Stakes.
On the next line of betting at $26 is Winx’s stablemate Life Less Ordinary and the Gerald Ryan trained Red Excitement ahead of Antonio Giuseppe and Sarrasin at $34.
Waller has set Winx a Spring Carnival campaign that will head towards her winning a third Group 1 $3m Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) at The Valley on October 28 and equalling the legendary Kingston Town’s record of three consecutive wins in the ‘Weight For Age Championship’.
Winx will be wearing ear muffs for the first time in a race after Waller thought that might help her in the barriers after she blew the start in the Group 2 $250,000 Warwick Stakes (1400m) at Randwick a fortnight ago.
Winx was four lengths behind the second last horse in the early stages and Hugh Bowman let her gradually recover her composure before making his move in the straight to overhaul the leaders to score a narrow win over her stablemate Foxplay.
“She will wear ear muffs and with them on it should ensure she jumps on terms with them,” Waller said.
“I want to run her in the Chelmsford so she does everything 100 per cent and that will give her confidence going into the spring.”
“We had the barrier blanket on her earlier in the week and she was fine but Hugh (Bowman) said ‘that’s her’, she is not a dangerous horse.”
“She wears the ear muffs in her trackwork and she works every day in them and it just helps block out the background noise. She wears them at the races and we take them off as soon as she leaves the parade ring (but) she will wear them in the (Chelmsford). It’s simply like wetsuit material. It blocks out 20 per cent of the sound and she will still hear 80 per cent.”
