Winx confirmed her status as one of the greatest racehorses of all time with a record fourth Cox Plate at Moonee Valley on Saturday. The victory was the seven-year old’s 29th straight, 22nd at Group One.
Wearing number six, Winx jumped safely and was guided superbly by Hugh Bowman around the 2,040m track. The closing 200m featured a tussle with the persistent Benbatl but Winx found an extra gear to win by two lengths.
“I can’t believe it,” Bowman said as he began his parade around the packed racecourse. “The electricity in my body turning into the home straight – I’m lost for words. Everyone gets so much joy from the superb ability of this horse.”
In the lead up to the Cox Plate the reputation of the ‘supermare’ of Australian racing was deemed to be on the line. Despite having won an unbeaten run of 28 races and taken over $18m in prize money, there were naysayers on the other side of the world.
Talk had centred on just how good Winx was compared to international horses. British television racing presenter Matt Chapman queried her value at a press conference on Tuesday. “Back home, we feel Winx is beating fairly moderate horses,” he said, prompting her trainer, Chris Waller, to describe him as “a bit of a dickhead” in comments aired by a Melbourne sports radio station.
Hours before the Cox Plate, the mare’s strapper Umut Odemislioglu praised her to the hilt. “Winx doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone! She is a legend and I’ll be always proud of her,” he wrote. “Winning or losing today doesn’t really matter.
“I hope that it’ll be a safe race and she’ll come home safe and healthy. That’s all I want. Enjoy one of the greatest race days in this century.”
A decision on Winx’s future is expected to be announced soon.
