Winx Wonderful In Cox Plate

Trainer Chris Waller described his 4-year-old filly Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) as a potential superstar leading into Saturday’s G1 Cox Plate, and the dark bay more than delivered on that promise, annihilating the males to win by nearly five lengths–a remarkable margin down the short Moonee Valley straight–while smashing the track record in the process. Dispatched as the favorite on the rail, Winx and jockey Hugh Bowman were content to take back passing the stands the first time as The Cleaner (Aus) (Savoire Vivre {GB}) was hustled to the lead directly to their outside. British raider Arod (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) raced up to join The Cleaner heading into the first turn while Highland Reel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) settled in an ideal position behind them with Winx on his heels on the rail. Winx kept the front-running The Cleaner no more than five lengths away down the backstretch, and began to inch ominously closer under a motionless Hugh Bowman rounding the second bend as Criterion (NZ) (Sebring {Aus}) followed in her slipstream. Winx was clearly traveling better than Criterion as she led him through an opening on the fence at the top of the lane and the result was never in doubt as they straightened for home, with Winx winning geared-down from Criterion and Highland Reel chasing in vain. Winx broke the track record of the great Might and Power (NZ) by over a half-second.

“This is incredible,” said part-owner Debbie Kepitis. “I just can’t believe it–what a mare and what a bloody good win.”
Saturday, Moonee Valley, Australia
WS COX PLATE-G1, A$3,050,000, MVRC, 10-24, 3yo/up, Open Weight For Age, 2040mT, 2:02.98, Good.
1–WINX, 55.5, f, 4, by Street Cry (IRE)
1st Dam: Vegas Showgirl (NZ) (SW & GSP-NZ & SW-Aus, NZ$172,062), by Al Akbar
2nd Dam: Vegas Magic, by Voodoo Rhythm (USA)
3rd Dam: Vegas Street (NZ), by Sovereign Edition (IRE)
(A$230,000 Ylg 2013 MM Gold Coast Yearling Sale) O-Magic
Bloodstock Racing (Mgr: P G Tighe), R G Treweeke & Mrs D N
Kepitis; B-Fairway Thoroughbreds NSW; T-C J Waller; J-J
Bowman; A$1,850,000. Lifetime Record: 15-9-3-0,
A$3,629,925. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for
the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Criterion (NZ), 59.0, h, 5, Sebring–Mica’s Pride, by Bite the
Bullet (USA). O-Sir O G Glenn; B-Go Bloodstock New Zealand
Ltd, Waikato, NZ; T-David Hayes & Tom Dabernig; J-M J
Walker; A$440,000.
[bullet ad=”irt-shell”]
3–Highland Reel (IRE), 56.0, c, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Hveger, by
Danehill (USA). (460,000gns yrl ‘13 TATOCT) O-D Smith, Mrs J
Magnier & M Tabor; B-Hveger Syndicate, IRE; T-A O’Brien;
J-Ryan Moore; A$220,000.
[bullet ad=”irt-shell”]
Margins: 4.8 len, 5.6 len, 9.1 len. Odds: 3.60, 5.00, 7.00.
Also Ran: Pornichet (FR) , Hartnell (GB) , Fawkner, The Cleaner, Gailo Chop (FR) , Preferment (NZ) , Happy Trails, Arod (IRE) , Mourinho, Kermadec (NZ) , Complacent.
Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO.

Winx put her raw talent on display for all to see right from the start, winning Randwick’s G2 Furious S. in her third start a little over a year ago before finishing second in the prestigious G2 Tea Rose S. and G1 Flight S. Off the board in her first two autumn outings in February at shorter than ideal distances, Winx bounced back to take Rosehill’s G2 Phar Lap S. over 1500 meters in March and was fifth–beaten two lengths–in the G1 Vinery Stud S. over 2000 meters two weeks later. She notched her second Group 1 placing when second in the G1 Australian Oaks at The Championships Apr. 4, after which she embarked on a five-race win streak that still stands. Dominant in the G3 Sunshine Coast Guineas May 16, Winx was even more impressive when winning the G1 Queensland Oaks by 3 1/2 lengths two weeks later. Given a winter holiday thereafter, Winx took the G2 Theo Marks S. at Rosehill Sept. 12 and recorded an eye-popping first Group 1 win in Randwick’s prestigious G1 Epsom H. Oct. 3, setting the stage for yesterday’s career high. It was also a high for her trainer, who–while being one of the most recognizable and successful conditioners in the country–was recording his first win in what are described as the country’s ‘major’ Group 1s: The Caulfield and Melbourne Cups, Cox Plate and Golden Slipper.

“It is a big moment,” Waller said. “It was shades of [dual Cox Plate-winning mare] Sunline.”

“She is fast and she is a superior athlete,” Waller added. “You never go on and think these horses can be Cox Plate winners and I don’t even dream about these things.”

It was an emotional score for Bowman, who said, “All I ever wanted to be, since I was a little boy, was a jockey. To be here riding on this stage is one thing, but to win a race like this, I can’t tell you how much it means. I am so thankful to Chris Waller and to the owners of the horse, also to my family and friends who are here–I cannot believe it to be honest.”

The aftermath of the race was not entirely celebratory for Bowman, who had to defend alleged interference from Criterion’s jockey Michael Walker after Walker was forced to check Criterion at the 500 meter mark. It was deemed The Cleaner was also involved in the movement that saw all three horses shuffle towards the fence, and Bowman was not charged.

Winx was bred by John and Debbie Camilleri’s Fairway Thoroughbreds, which has enjoyed a banner year having also bred the G1 Golden Slipper hero Vancouver (Aus) (Medaglia d’Oro). She is out of the stakes-winning and Group-placed Vegas Showgirl, who the Camilleri’s bought for A$455,000 out of the 2008 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. Winx is Vegas Showgirl’s second foal; she also has an unraced 3-year-old gelding named Win Win Leader (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and 2-year-old and yearling colts by Snitzel (Aus). Like her dam, Winx was also offered for sale at Magic Millions, fetching A$230,000 from agent Peter Tighe from the Coolmore Stud draft. Tighe is now part of the ownership group that also includes Debbie Kepitis, a member of the Ingham family, one of Australia’s first families of racing. The Ingham family has campaigned great Group 1 winners like Octagonal (NZ) and his son Lonhro (Aus), and more recently Kepitis has also enjoyed success with last year’s G1 Thousand Guineas winner Amicus (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}).

Winx is the fourth Group 1 winner for former Darley shuttler Street Cry (Ire), who died in Australia last September. Street Cry currently has five sire sons standing in Australia and New Zealand, including Carlton House and G1 Melbourne Cup winner Shocking (Aus), and his Group 1-winning grandson Hallowed Crown (Aus) (Street Sense) is currently standing his first season at Street Cry’s former home, Darley’s Kelvinside Stud in the Hunter Valley alongside Carlton House.