Computer gives nod to Winx in match-up

According to Punters.com.au data, The Autumn Sun would be hard-pressed keeping up with Winx over 1600m let alone the extra 440m needed to stop the world’s best from winning an unprecedented fourth consecutive Cox Plate.

The fully simulated race, with overall time removed due to the George Main being run faster than the Guineas, had Winx reel in The Autumn Sun with 400m to go.

Winx then accelerates, travelling at 63km/h before throttling down from a top speed of 67km/h (last 200m sectional) to the winning post.

“Essentially Winx is clocking speeds that Black Caviar was capable of, only she’s doing it in middle distance races up to 2000 metres which is quite phenomenal,” Punters.com.au form analyst James Lamb said.

The Autumn Sun has never raced beyond 1600m making it impossible to compare him to Winx over a longer distance.

The smart colt would, however, benefit from an 8kg pull in the weights with three yearold’s alotted only 49kg in the $5 million weight-for-age classic at the Valley.

So who wins? It matters not because The Autumn Sun’s connections don’t want to find out if their colt is actually good enough to bring down the mighty mare.

“I’m not all that interested or excited about the prospect of trying to knock off probably the most significant horse we’ve had here for about six or seven years,” the Arrowfield Stud manager Paul Messara told RSN927 yesterday.