Champion mare Winx and Australia’s number one sprinter Redzel are set to clash in a 900m barrier trial at Rosehill on Monday.
Champion mare Winx, above, will clash with Redzel in a 900m Rosehill barrier trial. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
The Chris Waller trained Winx and Redzel, prepared by Peter and Paul Snowden, will line up in the first trial at 8.15am in a field of nine that also includes three of Winx’s stablemates, Comin’ Through, Endless Drama and Oklahoma Girl.
Winx will be making her first public appearance since winning her twenty-second consecutive race with her history making win in the Group 1 $3m Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) at The Valley during the 2017 Melbourne Spring Carnival.
Winx was able to equal the long standing record of the mighty Kingston Town’s three straight Cox Plate wins when he was crowned the weight for age champion in 1980, 1981 and 1982.
Waller has earmarked the Group 2 $250,000 Apollo Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on February 17 as Winx’s 2018 campaign opener with the Group 1 $4m Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on day two of The Championships as her main Sydney Autumn Carnival goal.
Waller is still non-committal if Winx will travel overseas in the near future but did indicate that another resounding win in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes during The Championships could secure a ticket to England for the Royal Ascot Carnival.
“If she wins the George Ryder by three lengths, and the Queen Elizabeth by two lengths she’ll be on the plane,” Waller told RSN 927.
“She will go if she’s 100 per cent.”
Redzel is the winner of his last seven races and was crowned Australia’s best sprinter with his sensational front running win in the inaugural $10m The Everest (1200m) at Randwick on October 14.
The five year old Snitzel gelding then went on to claim his second Group 1 trophy with another win from the front in the Group 1 $1m Darley Classic (1200m) at Flemington on November 11, adding to his Group 1 win in the $700,000 James Boag’s Premium Doomben 10000 (1200m) at Doomben during the 2017 Brisbane Winter Carnival.
Redzel’s main Autumn Carnival target will be the Group 1 $2.5m Darley T J Smith Stakes (1200m) at Randwick during The Championships on April 7 and Team Snowden will kick off the brilliant sprinter’s Autumn Campaign in the Group 1 $750,000 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m) at Flemington on February 17.
Rosehill barrier trials Heat 1 (900m) on Monday January 22
| # | Last 10 | Horse | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 64x155111x | ACE HIGH | David Payne |
| 2 | 1130x1569x | BONNY O’REILLY (NZ) | Bjorn Baker |
| 3 | x80222511x | CLASSIC UNIFORM | Gary Moore |
| 4 | 5338x1160x | COMIN’ THROUGH | Chris Waller |
| 5 | 915x0x360x | ENDLESS DRAMA (IRE) | Chris Waller |
| 6 | 311323x37x | OKLAHOMA GIRL | Chris Waller |
| 7 | 2211x1111x | REDZEL | Peter & Paul Snowden |
| 8 | 4163x6410x | TRAPEZE ARTIST | Gerald Ryan |
| 9 | 111x11111x | WINX | Chris Waller |
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