Trainer yet to plot Winx’s next course

CHRIS Waller will take his time before deciding what the future holds for superstar mare Winx.

Speaking the morning after his super mare won her third Cox Plate on Saturday, Waller said the champ had pulled up well after the hard-fought win at Moonee Valley but he would let the dust settle on her victory before plotting a new course.

“It would be unfair to decide on her next start today,” Waller said on RSN yesterday morning.

“When she runs next or goes overseas, if she goes, it will unfold.

“I’ve got something in mind. It will work itself out whether she has one more run this preparation or goes overseas. She’ll only take them on if she’s at her best. It will unfold.”

Waller said Winx had visited the beach yesterday morning and had come through the Cox Plate in good fashion.

“She’s fantastic. She’s an amazing athlete and that helps her to recover well,” he said.

“It’s an honour to be working with a horse like this. It’s a relief and it’s remarkable.”

Winx fought off a valiant challenge from the Darren Weir-trained Humidor over the final 200 metres, the thrilling finish leaving many with their hearts in their mouths.

In the wake of her narrowest Cox Plate win, some have questioned whether the mare was at her best — despite the superstar beating her own race record.

But Waller said Winx entered the race in peak condition, saying she needed to go into the Cox Plate at her fifth run this campaign and not her fourth run.

“She needed that extra run. She couldn’t have done it without that lead-in preparation,” he said.

“She’ll rise to any challenge but I’ve got to ensure it’s not breaking point for her.”

Waller said the last thing he would do would be to take Winx to the races underdone, and now she was an older, stronger mare, she needed more work.

He said when she won the 2015 Cox Plate as a four-year-old she weighed 505kg, last year she was 515kg and on Saturday she was 526kg.