Headline mare Winx is set to frighten off most of her rivals when she chases her eleventh win on the trot in the Group 2 $250,000 Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on Saturday.
Winx, above, will face another small field in the Chelmsford Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.
Winx made a mess of the small field in the Group 2 $250,000 Warwick Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on August 20 when she recorded her tenth win in succession and trainer Chris Waller said that she has continued to please the stable since.
“She has come through the (Warwick Stakes) really well and we know exactly where she is at now,” Waller told The Herald Sun.
“It’s just about maintenance really and just keep taking the necessary steps towards each race she runs in.”
“The only pressure now is not to overtrain her and make sure she just keeps taking gradual steps.”
Winx will be the one to beat again this week in the Chelmsford Stakes as she progressive towards defending her title in the Group 1 $3m Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 22 after a demolition of last year’s field in the ‘Weight For Age Championship’ when she beat Criterion by four and three quarter lengths.
“You can only dodge horses for so long, so she is there to be taken on if people want to,” Waller said.
Winx has now won fourteen of her twenty race starts and has amassed just over $6.8 million in prizemoney.
In early betting for the Cox Plate at Ladbrokes.com.au Winx is at the top of the market order at $2.50, a clear favourite over the Aidan O’Brian trained Highland Reel at $15 with Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Lucia Valentina, Ranvet Stakes winner The United States and Inglis Sires’ winner Yankee Rose all sharing the $17 marked.
