Winx unextended in Rosehill barrier trial

Glamour mare Winx was unextended by regular rider Hugh Bowman when she ran third in a 900m barrier trial at Rosehill this morning.

Winx, above winning her 2nd Cox Plate, finished 3rd in a Rosehill barrier trial with Hugh Bowman in the saddle. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos

Winx, above winning her 2nd Cox Plate, finished 3rd in a Rosehill barrier trial with Hugh Bowman in the saddle. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.

Bowman settled Winx in fourth position and stuck to the fence in the straight before finishing third behind the leader Music Magnate and the fast finishing stablemate Endless Drama.

The leading Group 1 winning jockey was pleased with Winx’s effort and said that she pulled up in fine style.

“We were are pleased with her. We didn’t ask her to do a lot this morning but probably as good as she has trialled in her career,” Bowman said.

“She pulled up well and is moving well.”

Winx was sent for a break after winning her second Group 1 $3m Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 22 by a record eight lengths as well as chalking up her ninth Group 1 success and trainer Chris Waller is happy with her progress in the build up to her return to the race track in the Group 2 $250,000 Apollo Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on February 11.

Winx has gained a cult following and Waller is very keen to keep the dual Cox Plate winner in the winner’s stall during her Autumn Carnival campaign.

“We are conscious of doing the very best we can and hope that she keeps winning for the public but at the same time it is a sporting event and things can happen,” Waller said.

“We will do the best we can and hope to keep her in the winning tact.”

Waller said that he keeps a close eye on Winx while she is in the spelling paddock so that she doesn’t come back into the stable with too much condition on her.

“We don’t let her fitness get away too far,” Waller said.

“The modern training techniques are adapting that type of method where it is an easier approach to get them fit.”

“It is important not to have then too heavy because they carry a lot of extra weight on their joints and tendons and things like that.”

“So we are mindful to keep her in pretty good shape.”

“She could race in two weeks time if the right race was there.”

“But we will give her that preparation so she has a good grounding so that she is competitive in every race until the end of the carnival.”

Waller has mapped out a tentative 2017 Autumn Carnival program very similar to last year’s with Winx to resume racing in the Apollo Stakes before stepping out second up in the Group 1 $600,000 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on February 25 followed by the Group 1 $1m George Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill on March 18.

Winx won all three of those races during the 2016 Autumn Carnival before going on to win the Group 1 $3m The Star Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Randwick on the first day of ‘The Championships’.

But Waller will bypass the Doncaster Mile this year and concentrate on the weight for age Group 1 Longines $4m Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on April 8, the second day of ‘The Championships.

Winx has a total of seventeen wins from twenty-three starts, including nine Group 1s, and has earned $9,348,175 in prizemoney.

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.