The trainer of Winx will make a decision by the end of the week on whether the champion horse will back up her stunning Cox Plate victory with an appearance at the upcoming Flemington Carnival.
Winx confirmed her status as one of the best racehorses in the world after securing a second Cox Plate win in as many years at Moonee Valley on Saturday, when she stormed home a full eight lengths ahead of her nearest rival.
It was a 13th straight win for the five-year-old mare, but punters will have to wait to find out when the chance of a 14th will come after trainer Chris Waller said he is yet to give the green light to an appearance in the $2m Emirates Stakes (2000m) on 5 November, despite Winx pulling up well on Sunday morning.
“The grand final was yesterday and it’s not just about a one or two week lead-up,” Waller said. “The whole preparation has been geared toward yesterday, so later in the week we’ll have a quick think about it.”
Peter Tighe, the horse’s part-owner, said the decision was ultimately Waller’s to make. “It’s hard not to look at that race after she won so easily yesterday. It’s a difficult decision for Chris but not for me,” Tighe said. “He’ll assess that and whatever is in the best interests of the horse. If he thinks she needs to go out, she’ll definitely go out.”
Winx’s latest victory in Australia’s premier weight-for-age event means she is now well placed to emulate the great Kingston Town’s feat of winning three successive Cox Plates (1980 to 1982), should she line up again in next year’s race.
The gulf in class between Winx and the rest of the current field was never more evident than on Saturday, with the in-form gelding, Hartnell, having to settle for a distant second place.
Hartnell will not have to contend with Winx in this year’s Melbourne Cup because the latter does not run over the Cup’s longer distance of two miles. Hartnell remains favourite for “the race that stops a nation” a week on Tuesday.
Yet such is Winx’s dominance over her preferred distances, comparisons have been made to the untouchable Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt – claims that Waller’s Melbourne foreperson Johanne Taylor believes are fair.
“At this stage there’s nobody that’s really matching her over that particular distance in Australia. As with Usain Bolt, nobody’s really challenging him, such as we saw at the Olympics again this year.
“When she goes out there even for her trackwork, you can just see that when there’s another horse five or six lengths in front of her just cantering she actually wants to get on the bridle and make sure she gets past it. Once she’s past the horse she just floats around again. She just loves competition.”
