Winx rated best performer of Spring Carnival

The win by the Chris Waller trained mare Winx in the Group 1 $3m Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 24 has been rated as the best performance of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival.

Winx's winning performance in the Cox Plate is rated the best of the Melbourne Spring Carnival. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

Winx’s winning performance in the Cox Plate is rated the best of the Melbourne Spring Carnival. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

Racing Victoria’s chief handicapper Greg Carpenter has rated Winx’s four and three quarter lengths win in a very strong Cox Plate field as the standout performance of the Spring which has thrust up the world rankings.

“I think she’s run to a figure of 122, which would put her as the second-highest female athlete in the world this year behind Treve and superior to good fillies like Beholder, the great American horse,” Carpenter told racing.com.

“I think that’s a level that’s going to be pretty well accepted for Winx, so it puts her in pretty elite territory for mares.”

Winx went through the Spring Carnival undefeated from three race starts and if you add in her two wins during the Queensland Winter Carnival, she has won at her last five outings.

Waller has done a tremendous job with the Street Cry mare and after she was beaten when second to Gust To Wind in the Group 1 $1m Seven News Australian Oaks (2400m) at Randwick during the Sydney Autumn Carnival in her three year old season, the premiership winning trainer freshened her up and headed off to the Sunshine State.

Winx then put in a stunning performance to came from last to win the Group 3 $125,000 XXXX Sunshine Coast Guineas (1600m) at the Sunshine Coast on May 16 and followed that up with a win in the Group 1 $500,000 Treasury Casino & Hotel Queensland Oaks (2200m) at Doomben on May 30.

After a short let up, Winx then kicked off her Spring Carnival campaign with a first up win, coming from last again, in the Group 2 $200,000 Theo Marks Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on September 12 and then topped that off with an equally stunning performance to win the Group 1 $1m The Star 150th Epsom (1600m) at Randwick on October 3 before going on to win the Cox Plate at her next start.

Carpenter has rated Mongolian Khan’s win in the Group 1 $3m Caulfield Cup (2400m) at Caulfield on October 18 as the second best.

“He’s probably, for me, run to about 121 which is a world-class performance on ratings,” Carpenter said.

“I think many of the international handicappers are looked at a level of 120 for him so we’ll have that discussion in Hong Kong.”

And even though Criterion ran third in the Group 1 $6m Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on November 3, Carpenter has rated his performance better the the winner Prince Of Penzance.

“The highest rating performance out of that race will actually come from Criterion, he carried 57.5kg so for me, he’s run to about 120,” Carpenter said.

” Max Dynamite who ran second, carried 55kg and he’s run to about 116.

“With the margin, Prince of Penance, who carried 2kg less than Max Dynamite, has run to a figure of about 113.

“So it’s a really high rating renewal of the Melbourne Cup, but it does demonstrate that not always the highest rating performance comes from the winner of the Melbourne Cup because it’s a handicap race.”

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.