Everything is in order for Winx to claim her twenty-third Group 1 trophy with a win in the Group 1 $600,000 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) at Randwick today.
Winx, above, is chasing a fourth straight Chipping Norton Stakes win at Randwick. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
The Royal Randwick track was rated a Good 4 on race morning with the rail out 6m for the entire course and Winx is still at the very shot short odds of $1.09 at Ladbrokes.com.au to win her fourth successive weight for age Chipping Norton Stakes.
The Chipping Norton Stakes field is clear of scratchings with five of the runners also coming from the Chris Waller stable with the Pat Webster trained Happy Clapper making up the seven horse field.
Hugh Bowman will again be aboard Winx who will jump from barrier four while Happy Clapper, who is on the second line of betting at $8, will leave from gate three with Blake Shinn in the saddle.
Waller will let Bowman give himself his own riding instructions as Winx tries to taking her unbeaten winning sequence to thirty-one, but the champion jockey said that Winx can look after herself.
“She knows,’’ Bowman told The Daily Telegraph.
“The maturity and knowledge of where she is at these days, she could almost do it without me.
“In fact, I’m sure she could but someone has to ride her so I’m glad that’s me.’’
Bowman said that Winx’s track work during the week had been exceptional and she definitely hasn’t gone backwards since her impressive first up win in the Group 2 $250,000 The Star Apollo Stakes (1400m) at Randwick two weeks ago.
“I got that feeling on Tuesday morning when I worked with Unforgotten, her work was exceptional,” Bowman said.
“I can honestly say Unforgotten is probably the best horse Winx has worked with and yeah, Unforgotten worked really well but Winx just did it as she does on raceday.
“She’s just got gears that other horses don’t have.
Waller has two more races in the pipeline for Winx before her retirement at the end of her 2019 Sydney Autumn Carnival campaign and the glamour mare will step out in the Group 1 $1m George Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill on March 23 before her swansong in the Group 1 $4m Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on Day Two of The Championships on April 13.
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