Winx Rallies Late to Claim 19th Straight Victory

What was supposed to be routine for Winx in the Chelmsford Stakes (G2) at Randwick Sept. 2 turned into another demonstration of the unique mare's engine and the skill of jockey Hugh Bowman in the saddle.

Bowman's timing and judgment had Winx reel in runaway leader Red Excitement (AUS) in the final 50 meters to claim her 19th straight victory, by a length.

"I was more worried today than (in her last race)," Bowman said. "Really good horses would have been certainly beaten today, but she is something else. I don't know how she did it."

Trainer Chris Waller knew why Winx was able to win.

"Hugh Bowman just gets it right. He was the difference. He summed it up and didn't panic," Waller said. "You need someone like Hugh making the right decisions at the right time. That's exactly what he did today. That was amazing from horse and rider."

Winx's problems in her return—the Aug. 19 Warwick Stakes—were of her own doing. She missed the start by five lengths in the Warwick, but in the Chelmsford it was a rival that set up her dramatic rally.

ROOTS: Winx Goes Last to First in Warwick Stakes

Red Excitement's trainer, Gerald Ryan, decided to let his 8-year-old gelding run free. Jockey Josh Parr followed the plan and took Red Excitement to the front to set fast fractions.

"I was watching her as much as I was watching him. He (was going) terrific. I don't think there is another horse in the world that could have run him down," Ryan said.

By the halfway point of the 1,600-meter race, Red Excitement had five lengths on his nearest rival, Chocante (NZ). He had a dozen lengths on the main body of the field, where Winx was situated.

It was then that Bowman realized he needed to cut into the margin before it got out of hand.

"He certainly made a race of it," Bowman said. "He left no stone unturned. I was comfortable in the first quarter of the race, but I could see what was happening. So I started to make my way a bit closer from the (900-meter) mark, but I still had to stay within myself.

"At the top of the straight, I wasn't worried last start, but today I really was. What she did today was incredible. I mean everything she does is incredible, but I'm lost for words."

The margin was 10 lengths between the pair with 600 meters to run. At about 450 meters from the post, it was down to five lengths and Winx was getting into her gear. She still had three lengths to make up at the 200-meter mark, when Bowman dropped his whip.

"That wasn't ideal," he said.

Winx was still going strongly, and as Red Excitement's stride shortened in the final 100 meters, she went to the front to the roar of the Randwick crowd.

"I thought I had pulled it off. He is in such great form at the moment. He deserves a big win. Today he has just run into possibly the greatest ever," Parr said.

But it was once again Winx's day, as she drew alongside the winning streak of another daughter of Street Cry, Zenyatta.

Chris Roots is chief racing writer for the Sydney Morning Herald