Filly Winx Smashes Course Record in Cox Plate

Brilliant filly Winx scored one of the most memorable victories in the history of the W.S. Cox Plate (Aus-I), unleashing a blazing burst of speed in a course record-setting victory.

 

Winx was the favorite for the Aus$3million race, run at 2,040 meters (about 1 1/4 miles), but her connections, including jockey Hugh Bowman, trainer Chris Waller, and her owners, were astounded by the performance of the Street Cry filly, who completed the trip in a record 2:02.98 on good turf. The previous record was 2:03.54 set in 1998 by Might and Power.

 

Winx is the seventh female to win Australia's premier weight-for-age race, joining Sunline (1999 and 2000) and Makybe Diva (2005).

 

Waller, Australia's leading trainer of group I winners in recent seasons, secured his 54th win at the top level Saturday and added to his already sensational record in landing one of Australia's top four races (Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate, Golden Slipper, all Aus-I) for the first time. Of his three Cox Plate runners Saturday, Preferment finished ninth and Kermadec came in13th.

  

Breaking from post 1, Winx raced in sixth on the rails as The Cleaner immediately took up the running from the gate, with Arod, Highland Reel, and Complacent in touch. 

 

Up the backstretch The Cleaner shifted slightly out, and some 200 meters before he had planned, Bowman gave Winx her cue before the turn, and she shot forward up the rail and kept going.

 

As the field bunched entering the stretch, The Cleaner faded, but Criterion and Highland Reel made their bids. None could catch Winx, however, who won by 4 3/4 lengths from Criterion, with Highland Reel third, 5 1/2 lengths behind the winner. Pornichet was nine lengths back, fourth in the 14-horse field.

 

Winx's inside post in the Cox Plate was seen as a distinct disadvantage.

 

"There was no option from that gate, but we turned it from a negative into a positive,'' Waller said told the Courier-Mail. "You can't do it at both ends of a Cox Plate, and Hugh was able to settle about fifth and give her a lovely run.

 

"I could see she was traveling pretty good, and there was a lot of room on the rail. There are not many horses that have her acceleration—thankfully."

 

Winx entered off a 2 1/4-length triumph in the Epsom Handicap (Aus-I) Oct. 3 at Randwick. In winning the Cox Plate she becomes the first horse since 1959—when Australian Horse of the Year Noholme II (who eventually stood stud in Arkansas and Florida)—to complete the double, and is the first distaffer to achieve the feat.

 

She took her career earnings to $3,570,925, while improving her career line to 9-3-0 record from 15 starts. 

 

Bred in Australia by the Camilleri family's Fairway Thoroughbreds and owned by Magic Bloodstock Holdings, 4-year-old Winx is out of New Zealand stakes winner Vegas Showgirl, by Al Akbar. She was purchased by her connections for Aus$230,000 (US$241,569) from Coolmore Stud's agency at the 2013 Magic Millions Gold Coast yearling sale.