The day I almost beat the champ

THE man who almost beat Winx, Blake Shinn, says part of him is relieved he did not end the champion’s winning streak in last year’s Cox Plate.

The injured jockey revealed this week that he thought for a split second he was going to beat the super mare on Humidor.

Shinn got within half a length of Winx last year, the narrowest of her three Cox Plate victories after 4.8 and eight-length romps.

“Riding against her you never really think you’re going to beat her,” Shinn said.

“But getting off her back for a split second I honestly thought I was going to cause one of the biggest upsets in sport.

“Winx didn’t have the ideal run, Hugh [Bowman] just kept her out of trouble so she covered a lot of extra ground compared to me, which made the margin as close as it did.”

Shinn rode four winners on Cox Plate Day last year, but the Sydneybased jockey will be watching from afar on Saturday, as he continues to recover from a broken neck.

“I suppose looking back it would have been great to win, personally, but as a sporting fan you never like to see champions get beat,” Shinn said.

“We nearly spoilt the party but thankfully for all the fans, and owners of Winx, we didn’t do it.

“I love Winx as much as the fans love her but as a jockey and as a competitor I’ve got a job to do for my connections and we nearly did it.”

Shinn is confidant Winx will win her fourth Cox Plate today.

The Melbourne Cup winner said the small field, including fancied international Benbatl, will be running for second again.

“Nothing has done it [beaten her] in the past 28 starts,” Shinn said.

“I can’t see anything getting near her again. I feel that last win [in the Turnbull Stakes] was arguably her best win coming from an impossible position.”

With only seven rivals Winx shouldn’t have any problems staying out of trouble at the Valley.