Hugh Bowman is super confident that Winx will continue on her winning way towards fifteen straight victories and said that only bad luck would get her beaten in Saturday’s Group 1 $600,000 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) at Randwick.
Jockey Hugh Bowman and Winx, above, will team up again in the Chipping Norton Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.
Winx resumed for the Autumn when she toyed with her rivals to claim the Group 2 $250,000 The Star Apollo Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on February 13 and Bowman can see her doing the same thing in the weight for age Chipping Norton Stakes.
“It’s a bit like the other day and the only way she is going to be beaten is through bad luck or if something goes wrong and I think that is fairly obvious to everyone,” Winx’s regular jockey Hugh Bowman told The Daily Telegraph.
“I see this race very similar to the Apollo and she should have the wood on her rivals and should have it comfortably.”
“But I think with her next two runs competition is going to be stiffer.
“I would like to think you would get more fashionable odds about her next start in the George Ryder because she will be taking on horses that are really specialist 1400m-1600m horses that are really primed for the race.”
“At the moment most of her opposition are horses that are going to be better over further.”
“I’m always wary of Hartnell and he is obviously her main opposition most of the time but I think he is going to be more suited against us in the Queen Elizabeth myself,” Bowman said.
Winx has drawn barrier four in the ten horse Chipping Norton Stakes field while her main rival Hartnell will jump from the outside of the field at gate ten.
Brenton Avdulla takes over the reins from the injured James Doyle on the John O’Shea trained Hartnell who got to within two and three quarter lengths of Winx when runner-up in the Apollo Stakes.
Winx is dominating the betting again and on Wednesday morning was the $1.10 favourite for the Chipping Norton Stakes at Ladbrokes.com.au with Apollo Stakes runner up Hartnell the closest to her in the market order at $8.
Apollo Stakes third placegetter and Winx’s stablemate Endless Drama is on the third line of betting at $14.
After she runs in the Chipping Norton Stakes on Saturday, Winx will head towards the Group 1 $1m George Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill on March 18 before ending her 2017 Autumn Carnival campaign in the Group 1 $4m Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on April 8, the second day of ‘The Championships’.
