Time to ponder on Winx

COULD Winx win The Everest or an unprecedented fourth Cox Plate?

Trainer Chris Waller has plenty of time to ponder this question as the champion mare heads to the spelling paddock after her magnificent win in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.

Winx equalled Black Caviar’s 25-race winning streak and secured her 18th Group 1 win, extending her own world record for career majors.

But Waller won’t be drawn on spring carnival plans for Winx just yet.

“She will have a good spell of four to six weeks so she can chill out and be a horse,’’ he said.

“But everything we do with Winx is about trying to create longevity. When she comes back in, we want to see her enjoying her work and showing us she wants to continue her racing.’’

Winx is a seven-year-old mare but seems to be going as well as ever, which gives Waller the chance to consider his options for the spring. They include the world’s richest race on turf, the $13 million The Everest (1200m) at Randwick on October 13, and the $3 million Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley two weeks later.

It would be virtually impossible for a horse to run competitively in both races, even one as good as Winx.

So Waller and Winx’s owners need to decide what is the best race program for the mighty mare next spring.

Winx hasn’t raced over less than 1400m for more than two years. But Winx has such explosive powers of acceleration she would be more than competitive first-up in The Everest over 1200m if trained specifically for the race.