Winx has reaffirmed herself as the country’s best racehorse with another impressive and comfortable performance to post a fourth win at the highest level in this afternoon’s Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) at Royal Randwick.

Winx posted a fourth Group 1 win in this afternoon’s Chipping Norton Stakes at Randwick. Photo: Steve Hart

Winx was a deserving odds-on favourite leading into the Chipping Norton Stakes this afternoon, and the mare experienced a carefree jump before settling slightly-worse than midfield; allowing early leaders Dibayani, Mongolian Khan and Magic Hurricane to set the early pace.

Jockey Hugh Bowman peeled the daughter of Street Cry off the fence upon reaching the bend and was offered a clear racing line in the final straight as a result.

Bowman was a passenger in the final 400m as Winx jogged up to the leaders and continued past; kicking well late to overcome a brave performance from Dibayani; Hauraki boxing on for third.

Trainer Chris Waller was understandably pleased with Winx’s win in the 2016 Chipping Norton Stakes and confirmed the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) on Day 2 of The Championships remains her major target.

“You get used to having favourites on a Saturday, but you don’t have $1.30 favourites in a Group 1,” Waller said.

“People must be putting some serious money on to get her to that price. I believe they’d have their hearts in their mouths with 200m to run like I did.

“You just dream of horses like her and it’s just great for Australian racing.

“I’m not too sure what we’ll do. We’ll see what Hugh says and we’ll see how she pulls up, but I don’t want to run her over 2000m until the Queen Elizabeth.

“I doubt she’ll run the Ranvet, so it’s probably going to be the George Ryder or the Emancipation.

“You can do anything with her. She went three weeks into the Cox Plate. Anything is possible with a horse like her.”

Bowman delivered a typically smart performance aboard Winx to win the Chipping Norton Stakes, but revealed it was not all smooth sailing for the mare this afternoon.

“When the gates opened she was a little wary today, it was a bit warmer,” Bowman said.

”She’s had a history because she’s very competitive of just wanting to get on with it, so when she jumped it just took her a little while to know she was in the race.

“So I settled a bit further back than anticipated but the thing about a horse like this is you can rely on their turn of speed when you need to and she’s won from all places now.

“It’s just a pleasure to be part of her.”

Winx has now won an impressive eleven of her seventeen career starts; finishing in the minors a further three times.