Winx Extends Win Streak to 24 With George Ryder Score

Winx had to work for it, but the mighty mare snagged her 24th straight victory with a determined stretch run in The Agency George Ryder Stakes (G1) at Rosehill Gardens March 24.

With regular rider Hugh Bowman in the irons, Winx took her time getting going as usual in the Ryder. She started her move entering the turn in the 1,500-meter test and came even with Happy Clapper some 300 meters out, but did not put the victory away until well down the stretch.

At the end she was three-quarter length winner over the soft turf. Godolphin's 3-year-old star, Kementari, ran determinedly to finish third in a major step forward for him. Happy Clapper and Kementari are headed for The Star Doncaster Mile (G1) April 7. Winx is targeting the Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) a week later—before any potential overseas travel.

The Ryder victory was her 17th at the group 1 level. That skein includes victories in three straight runnings of the Cox Plate (G1).

Winx's trainer, Chris Waller, tipped his hat to the others in the Ryder field.

"It did make her stretch," he said of Happy Clapper's stout stretch run. "It's perfect for what we're headed for—the Queen Elizabeth in three weeks' time."

"I've always treated them with the respect they deserve," Bowman said of Winx's rivals. "But this mare is just better than them.

"Every horse is different. But this horse has really captured the imagination of the world."

Whether the rest of the world will get to see the 7-year-old Street Cry mare in the flesh remains an unanswered question. Waller said earlier a decision about sending her to Royal Ascot would be forthcoming after the George Ryder. But immediately after the George Ryder, the story was different.

"To be fair to the owners (Magic Bloodstock Racing and partners), we haven't even discussed it," he said, adding the travel would have to be scheduled to fit Winx's domestic agenda. "If she's going for a fourth Cox Plate, we could only go (to England or Europe) for one race, maybe two."