All-Star Mile not a chance for Winx

RACING Victoria’s general manager of racing Greg Carpenter has conceded champion mare Winx will not run in the $5 million All-Star Mile at Flemington next month, but says that will not stop him having one last crack at connections to change their mind.

As the top 10 votegetters for the race were announced yesterday — and Happy Clapper was revealed as the first of four wildcards — Carpenter said he was pleased with the provisional field to date, but foreshadowed likely changes to the race structure for next year.

Those include a plan for international representatives for the 2020 All-Star Mile with the voting likely to be expanded overseas, as well as a reassessment of the minimum performance required for entry, which could include Group performances over a calendar year.

Carpenter made a recent unsuccessful approach to Winx’s owners in a bid to have the superstar mare as the headline act of the inaugural race, but could not sway them from altering their Sydney farewell plans.

“She is not going to run,” Carpenter said. “She is not out of my picture, but she is out of their [the owners’] picture.”

“They are very singular about maintaining her unbeaten run through her Sydney campaign.

“I am not offended when people say no to me, but to be fair, I will offer them one more [chance]. The cost of a phone call is very inexpensive in the modern world, so I will add one more.”

Carpenter said the unique nature of the race — where a popular vote allocated the first 10 slots — was always going to produce “an eclectic field”.

But he stressed the 11 confirmed starters — plus the three wildcards to be added by March 4 — would still produce a competitive field.

“We have four Group 1 winners in the popular vote [Grunt, Alizee, Amphitrite and Foundry] … and we have also added Happy Clapper as the first wildcard, and only Winx is more highly rated in the southern hemisphere than Happy Clapper,” he said.