Superstar Winx can’t make No 1 ranking
Television was essentially discovered jointly by Britain and the United States. John Logie Baird, a Scot, came up with the idea in the mid1920s and American inventor Philo Taylor Farnsworth picked up the ball and ran with it, much like rugby’s evolution.
So there is no real excuse for the Americans or the British for missing the current run of form by the incomparable Winx.
That is the only conclusion you can draw from the Longines World’s Best Racehorses Ratings issued last week. The ratings are declared loosely in the first week in each month.
The early September list had Californian champ Arrogate rated at the top of the list on 134 with Winx second at 132. Arrogate had just come off two surprise failures in the Group 2 San Diego Handicap, facing the easiest field he has seen in 12 months and the Pacific Classic at Del Mar on August 20. He has not raced since.
Winx had just won the Group 2 Warwick Stakes and Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes. Since the September rankings Winx has won the Group 1 George Main Stakes. But the relativity remained with last week’s call being Arrogate 134 and Winx 132.
Winx’s remarkable win in Saturday’s Group 1 A$500,000 Turnbull Stakes will put enormous pressure on the panel to seriously consider the accuracy of the two-point gap between Arrogate and Winx when the November 9 list appears, particularly as the Cox Plate falls before it is published.
How can they stop Winx equalling Kingston Town’s three-straight Cox Plates. She showed in winning at Flemington on Saturday she deserves to now be rated higher than Kingston Town — and that is a huge call.
Saturday could not have been easier. Had Hugh Bowman given her a kick out of the three-quarter pace she was doing on the home bend, she would have been back in the birdcage when the other placegetters went past the winning post.
Bowman has always maintained Winx is significantly more comfortable racing left handed in Melbourne than she is going the right-handed Sydney way. That was as clear on Saturday as it was when she cruised past Hartnell to win last year’s Cox Plate.
Officially 20,282 turned out in Aus- tralia’s unofficial sporting capital to see Winx race for the first time at Flemington. Like everyone, it’s getting more and more difficult for Bowman and Chris Waller to find something new to say after 21 straight wins.
Bowman says he is enjoying the ride and who wouldn’t. “Every time she goes on the track now she’s rewriting the history books and it’s just an honour to be a part of it.”
Darren Weir admitted he was disappointed with Humidor failing to pose an expected threat to Winx. “I don’t know, maybe it’s time to play around with his gear.”
Footnote: Inventors have at times had a tough time. John Logie Baird looked for some publicity for his ‘televisor’, which it was originally named. He sought an interview with the editor of the Daily Express, who turned to one of his employees: “For God’s sake, go down to reception and get rid of a lunatic down there.
“He says he’s got a machine for seeing by wireless. Watch him — he may have a razor on him.”