Winx a chance to race in UK
WINX is still on track to take on the world overseas next year as the champion mare tuned up for a tilt at a third consecutive Cox Plate this spring with her best trial yet at Randwick yesterday.
Winx has never won any of her 15 barrier trials but she come from last to run an equal career-best third over 900m yesterday in what jockey Hugh Bowman described as her best trial yet.
“She feels to me as though she has strengthened up a little bit with natural development and it’s probably as good as she has ever trialled in all honesty,” Bowman said.
“She was very relaxed early on in the trial and when I got in some open space in the final 200m she really surged to the line.”
Winx’s spring campaign is all designed towards equalling Kingston Town’s record of three Cox Plates in Melbourne on October 28 but trainer Chris Waller said a trip overseas next year was still on the cards assuming she was fit and healthy.
Royal Ascot in Britain has been touted as a destination but there are other options as well for what Waller hinted could be Winx’s farewell from racing.
“(An overseas trip) is basically three preps away if you want to include (the 2018) autumn,” Waller said.
“I would say we are the same as we have been, we would love to take her (overseas) providing there are no risks involved.
“Everybody wants to see her go (overseas but) two minutes after she races they are going to say, ‘when is she back in Australia racing?’.
“It would be nice to take her as a finale but I wouldn’t take her as a finale if she wasn’t anywhere near her best.”
Winx’s co-owner Peter Tighe echoed Waller’s thoughts and hinted they were unlikely to race Winx beyond next year.
“If she is fit and well we are very interested to go overseas,” he said.
“We just want to get this program out of the way with the Cox Plate but if she is fit and well and healthy then he will sit down and map out a plan for next year.
“We would like to think probably to the end of next year would be as far as she would go and as far as probably we would take her.
“But whether she is physically and mentally advanced enough to keep going (that far we will see) and as long as she is happy to keep racing we are happy to keep her going.
“It’s a hypothetical and could all end tomorrow things don’t go our way or she is not fit and healthy.
“We will just enjoy it as it comes along and when that day comes I’m sure we will get together and have a little meeting and discuss where we want to go from there.”
Winx will trial again at Randwick on August 8 before resuming in the Group 2 Warwick Stakes (1400m) at the same track on August 19.
She will have up to four lead-up runs to the Cox Plate. it if if