Nothing near Winx
There are marks that seem impossible to match in Australian sport, but one fell at Randwick on Saturday to the best horse to grace the turf in Australia.
Black Caviar’s 25 straight wins was like Bradman’s 99.94 test average or St George’s 11 consecutive rugby league premierships – something to marvel at but never be matched.
Yet Winx went past Black Caviar to 26 with another trademark surge at Randwick to take the race named in her honour. Where the record streak will end might only be determined by when Chris Waller and connections decide she has had enough.
‘‘It’s the benchmark that someone else can strive for. We are just lucky we are the owners. Records are made for everybody to chase,’’ owner Peter Tighe said.
‘‘We are happy to set a few now. And, hopefully, she will continue to do it.’’
To put 26 in context, it would take 25 straight wins to have an unbeaten NRL or AFL season, and any team that does that would be hailed forever more.
Winx has kept winning for more than three years. Even on her bad days, she has proved better than the rest.
‘‘I didn’t think any horse would get near 25 straight wins when Black Caviar finished,’’ Kiwi-born trainer Chris Waller said. ‘‘To be a part of that is special. There is always another record that you won’t get, so you have to appreciate how good that is. There is always a box you won’t tick, like going overseas for her.
‘‘If you look at Bradman, he would have got that 100 if went one more test.
‘‘We are very lucky to have her and that she is still at her best, and that she is going to be around for a bit longer."
But this was Winx’s moment, like Norm Provan lifting the shield or Bradman scoring a big century.
There are stages of greatness in racing, from winning the adoration of punters to being recognised by the wider community, to where Winx is now front and back page news.
‘‘This is beyond what you dream about with a horse,’’ owner Debbie Kepitis said. ‘‘It is great to win a race but to win 26 in a row is mind-blowing.
‘‘She has won 30 races now and only 14 horses have in Australian, but for me she is simply best."
The pub argument of whether Winx is better than Black Caviar, Sunline or three-time Melbourne Cup winner Makybe Diva as the best this century is no contest.
Only the Diva’s amazing record goes close to matching Winx. She was a superior stayer with an Australian Cup, Sydney Cup, Cox Plate and Tancred Stakes to add to three starring roles at Flemington on first Tuesday in November.
But she never had the anticipation of being expected to win every time she went the track. She targeted her races.
Winx has won three Cox Plates and another two group 1s – the Chipping Norton Stakes and George Ryder Stakes – three times, the only horse to do the triple-triple. She has won an Epsom and a Doncaster when in the handicaps and won more races in total than Makybe Diva.
So then we turn to legends of the turf – Carbine, Phar Lap, Tulloch and Kingston Town. All champions of their era with special records that can not be matched. – Sydney Morning Herald