Mystic Journey touted as possible Winx successor

Australian racing will soon be without a pin-up horse with the impending retirement of Winx in Sydney next month but Mystic Journey’s trainer Adam Trinder suspects there is an obvious replacement in the wings.

“The Group 1 [Australian Guineas] was obviously a pinnacle a fortnight ago but to win the richest mile race in the world only two weeks later, she’s a filly on an upward spiral and we don’t know where the bottom of her is,” he said after Mystic Journey’s famous All-Star Mile victory at Flemington on Saturday. “We’ll protect her, look after her, and she might be able to take over the mantle of Winx,” he told Racing.com.

Winx has a picket fence of wins that stretches 31 panels and while Mystic Journey’s fence lasts just six panels, few would argue she will not assume Winx’s mantle of Australia’s best race mare when the latter sails off into retirement.

One of the unsung heroes of the Mystic Journey team is rider Anthony Darmanin, who could lay claims to being one of Australian racing’s quietest achievers.

His figures don’t give a hint as to his true ability. The 36-year-old has been riding for 18 years and has about 730 winners — which equates to about 40 a season. But for Darmanin, his value is as a trackwork rider.

Two weeks ago, he rode his first Group 1 winner on the filly, and on Saturday, rode an inspired race to beat the might of Godolphin.

“It’s unbelievable. It’s amazing. She is a filly that keeps raising the bar every time I ride her,” Darmanin said.