UK out to lure racing royalty

BRITISH racing officials will this week intensify attempts to lure Winx to Royal Ascot in June.

Nick Smith, Ascot’s director of racing, will meet the super mare’s owners and trainer Chris Waller in Sydney before the champion’s return in the Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) at Rosehill on March 3.

Smith has been chasing Winx for the past two seasons and says she would be a near certainty in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes (1600m), which is the first race on the opening day of the royal meeting on June 19.

“If she goes [to Royal Ascot] it will be for the Queen Anne, which is a mile race but it rides more like a nine furlong [1800m] race,” Smith said.

“She would be very strong favourite. We’re [Europe] not replete with strong milers in the older horse category this year, most of the good threeyear-olds have retired.

“She would actually probably find it the biggest open door that you could probably ask for in all honesty.” The Queen Anne has been won recently by some of the northern hemisphere’s most illustrious gallopers, including Frankel, Toronado and Ribchester.

Australia’s Haradasun, initially trained by Tony Vasil, won in 2008, when in Aidan O’Brien’s care.

Smith says Winx, who is on a 22-race unbeaten streak, remains the priority with a cluster of Australian sprinters in contention for Royal Ascot.

“Obviously Winx is the top of the list,” he said.

“She’s been the project for the last couple of years really. “Chris made it very clear last year that a third Cox Plate was the priority, completely understandably.

“She has now been campaigned with a potential trip in mind.

“Chris has been pretty frank and upfront. We know where we are.

“The Chipping Norton Stakes is next after [last Saturday’s] trial, then the George Ryder and then after the George Ryder, that’s the key decision-making date.”

Owners Peter Tighe and Debbie Kepitis were at Ascot in January and inspected the facilities during a race meeting held there.

Smith is fatalistic about the chances of attracting Winx to England, mindful of Waller’s alternative of keeping her at home and chasing an unprecedented fourth Cox Plate in October.

“There’s not much more that we can do,” Smith said.

“We know there’s a will at least to seriously consider travelling. I’d say things are looking pretty optimistic, pretty positive.”