Owners to race on with Winx

DEBBIE Kepitis maintains there has been no consideration given to retiring champion mare Winx if she wins an unprecedented fourth Cox Plate this month.

There have been suggestions the Cox Plate could be Winx’s final race start but Kepitis, who part-owns Winx with Richard Treweeke and Peter Tighe, dismissed the talk.

“There has been no retirement talk, definitely not,’’ she said yesterday. “If all goes well, Winx will run in the Cox Plate, she will definitely go for a spell and then we will see how she is (next autumn).

“As Chris (Waller) keeps saying, she is racing so well you would be doing her a disservice by retiring her. She is enjoying it and wants to race.’’

Winx extended her winning streak to 28 and took out her 21st Group 1 win in the Turnbull Stakes at Flemington on Saturday.

She seemed to be in trouble back near last on the inside coming to the turn but was able to reel off three successive sub-11s 200m sectional splits to the finish to power past her rivals to win.

Kepitis, Tighe and Waller are teaming up again for the $13 million The Everest on Saturday as slot-holders with Brave Smash.

The Darren Weir-trained horse ran third in the first edition behind Redzel last year but seems to be going better this spring.

“I think we have made a good decision going with Brave Smash,’’ Kepitis said.

“We have watched his races very closely this spring and it has been a great journey so far.

‘‘To have Hugh Bowman riding for us is a big help, too.

“Although we don’t own Brave Smash we feel invested. We had Deploy run last year and it was an unbelievable day.”