Crowd pleaser Winx will make an appearance on the first day of The Championhips at Randwick on Saturday in preparation for the Group 1 $4m Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on Saturday week.
Winx, above, will gallop in between races at Randwick on day one of The Championships. Photo by Steve Hart.
Racing New South Wales have announced that Winx will gallop after the running of the first race, the Group 3 $200,000 Widden Kindergarten Stakes (1100m) for the two year olds.
“Winx will be participating in an exhibition gallop over 1000m following the running of Race 1 at Royal Randwick this Saturday,” Racing New South Wales wrote on their website.
Winx will be lining up for her twenty-fifth straight on day two of The Championships and has been installed the $1.15 favourite at Ladbrokes.com.au to score back to back wins in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Chris Waller’s champion mare has been super impressive at her two Sydney Autumn Carnival outings with a seven lengths first up win in the Group 1 $600,000 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on March 3 followed by a comprehensive win in the Group 1 $1m The Agency George Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill on March 24.
Waller has shelved plans to take Winx overseas to race at Royal Ascot in England in June and will instead spell the mare before preparing her to attempt to win a fourth successive Group 1 $3m Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) at The Valley during the 2018 Melbourne Spring Carnival.
“Following lengthy discussions between the owners, Hugh Bowman and I, it has been decided that Winx will remain in Australia following the Queen Elizabeth Stakes held on April 14 at Royal Randwick and not embark on an international campaign.”
“It is out plan to continue to race her into the Spring and hopefully Australia can play host to international visitors during our carnival,” Waller wrote in his press release on Twitter.
Winx created history during the 2017 Melbourne Spring Carnival when she won a third consecutive Cox Plate which equalled the legendary Kingston Town’s record of three straight wins in 1980, 1981 and 1982, in ‘The Weight For Age Championship of Australasia’.
As well as being the short priced favourite for the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Winx is also the $1.70 favourite for the 2018 Cox Plate with her nearest rival in the betting being last year’s Cox Plate runner up Humidor at $11.
