Cup handicap would be weighty issue for Winx
WINX would be forced to carry a minimum 60kg if she was to run in the Melbourne Cup.
Despite having never raced more than 2200m, Racing Victoria chief handicapper Greg Carpenter said Winx — who tomorrow is a hot favourite to make it three Cox Plate triumphs in a row — would demand a huge weight should connections ever wish to run her in the 3200m race that stops a nation.
The hefty weight would largely be a result of her incredible rating, with back-toback Cox Plates among her streak of 21 victories.
Carpenter labelled Winx “the best in the world”, revealing he was often quizzed about what weight he would be forced to impose should she attempt the Melbourne Cup.
“It’s a question I’ve been asked quite frequently over the last couple of months,” Carpenter said.
“Obviously her winning streak and her brilliance has created a lot of interest ... everyone sees the Melbourne Cup as the big grand final in horse racing.
“The answer is, it would definitely start with a six. She would have at least 60 kilos. Her international rating is 132.
“There was much discussion this year and last year when I gave Order Of St George, the star European stayer, 58 kilos. He’s rated 121.
“The difference between 132 and 121 is 11 points, or 5½ kilos. So if you took a line through the international rating of the two horses, your starting point would be 63.5 [kilograms].”
Makybe Diva carried a record 58kg for a mare in 2005 when she won her third consecutive Melbourne Cup.
Carpenter said while Winx could be granted some concession having never raced over two miles, she would still be given an unprecedented weight.
“Winx has never been be- yond 2200m — the distance of the Queensland Oaks the year she won it — so I would give her a discount, probably in the fact that she hasn’t gone beyond that distance heading towards the Melbourne Cup,” Carpenter said on SEN radio.
“She’s the best horse in the world, on turf. For me she is the best horse in the world and her performances would demand that to give other horses [in the Cup] a chance and an opportunity to be competitive she would actually get at least 60 kilos in the Melbourne Cup.”