Europe’s trainers will have to travel Downunder to take on Winx
If Europe’s leading trainers want to take on Winx they will have to travel to Australia to do so.
Speculation over the champion mare’s schedule for the remainder of the year ended this week when trainer Chris Waller ruled out an overseas campaign.
Winx will instead focus on winning an unprecedented fourth Cox Plate in the spring, to eclipse the mark she shares with the legendary Kingston Town.
Pressure had been mounting on Waller and Winx’s connections to race the mare in the northern hemisphere after she had swept all before her with 24 consecutive Australian wins since 2015.
Royal Ascot and the Queen Anne Stakes at the iconic English track had been touted as a potential target for Winx in June, but after in-depth discussions Waller said the decision was made to remain in Australia.
“As a group we have all held ambitions to travel horses internationally and it has been our dream to have a horse race in front of Her Majesty the Queen at Royal Ascot,” Waller said.
“However, this decision is not about us and must be based on the best interests of Winx.
“That’s the best way to keep her racing a little bit longer.” Waller said safeguarding Winx’s health drove the decision to stay in familiar environments.
“There were a range of diverse matters to be considered, from wellbeing risks associated with travel to seasonal changes her hormones may undertake,” he said.
The six-year-old became the world’s most prolific Group One winner on the flat when she won her third successive George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill last Saturday.
She boosted her Group One tally to
17 and her next goal is to match the
25-race winning streak built by Black Caviar, whose sequence included a one-off race at Royal Ascot in June 2012.
Black Caviar won the Group One Diamond Jubilee Stakes before returning to Australia to win three more races before retirement.
Waller said he, owners Peter Tighe, Debbie Kepitis and Richard Treweek and jockey Hugh Bowman were gratified by the overseas interest. However, she did not have to race outside of Australia to justify her standing.
“Winx has nothing left to prove to anyone, she is and always will be regarded as a legend of the turf,” Waller said.
He hoped European trainers would follow the lead of Irishman Ken Condon, who has brought Success Days to Sydney to take Winx on in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
“Hopefully some more of them will come over here and take her on.”
Winx is a prohibitive favourite to win the Queen Elizabeth Stakes on April 14 for the second year in a row and take her career prize money soaring towards A$20 million.
● Kerrin McEvoy is rapt to be back riding Almandin for the first time since the pair teamed up to win the 2016 Melbourne Cup.
One of Australia’s leading jockeys has been tasked to guide the eightyear-old gelding through his first start in Sydney in today’s Tancred Stakes (2400m), and it is an assignment McEvoy is relishing at Rosehill.
The German-bred stayer provided one of the highlights of McEvoy’s career — and second Melbourne Cup — when Damien Oliver could not make weight for the iconic race.
Owner Lloyd Williams has called on McEvoy’s experience to add a new dimension to Almandin’s career.
“It’s nice to be back on him. He’s shown he’s competitive at weight-forage when there’s no Winx around,” McEvoy said.
Almandin is two races into his first preparation for Victorian trainer Liam Howley and arrives in Sydney after a fourth in the Group One Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington on March 10.
“He was desperately in need of some room there in the Australian Cup, but he has obviously been in good form of late,” McEvoy said.
He still has vivid memories of that memorable afternoon at Flemington, but McEvoy preferred to focus on Almandin’s attributes before they reunite on race day.
“He’s pretty push-button and he usually travels well,” McEvoy said.
“He hasn’t run in Sydney but he would have run right handed overseas so that wouldn’t be an issue. I think this will be a nice little change of scenery for him.” Almandin was the $3.70 second elect with the TAB on Wednesday while Gailo Chop, the $2.15 favourite, must defy history to produce back-to-back Group One wins for Victorian trainer Darren Weir.
The seven-year-old gelding gave Weir his first Sydney Group One in last Saturday’s Ranvet Stakes and history is against a repeat seven days later.
In the past three years no Ranvet Stakes placegetter has finished among the top three in the Tancred Stakes.