Trainer Chris Waller has repeated that he will stick to his step by step approach in Winx’s lead up to claiming a fourth victory in the this year’s Group 1 $3m Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) at The Valley during the Melbourne Spring Carnival.
Winx, above, made it 25 wins in succession with back to back wins in the 2018 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.
There is no talk of Winx retiring after winning twenty-five races in succession with back to back wins in the Group 1 $4m Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on day two of The Championships last Saturday and Waller is already planning a Spring Carnival assault.
Waller said that he would probably try to replicate last Spring Carnival’s program that proved so successful and which saw Winx win the Group 1 $500,000 Seppelt Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington before collecting her third successive Cox Plate trophy and equaling the legendary Kingston Town’s record of three consecutive Cox Plate wins.
“So bring on the spring, and take one careful step at a time, have a bit of fun, and keep the fans alive and racing,” Waller told Racing.com.
“Let’s get her through to the spring, start her off and see how far we get.
“We’ll take a traditional approach and won’t be tied into anything in particular.
“The Turnbull option was fantastic in the spring for her, and it was great to get her to Flemington to stretch out on a big track, and we all know how dominant she is at Moonee Valley.
“We’d love to be there, but the horse will do the talking.
“There’s no other way of looking at it, and anyone would do the same if you were in my situation.”
Regular partner Hugh Bowman settled Winx at the rear of the field before she circled the pack on the home turn before going on to win her second Queen Elizabeth Stakes which took her unbeaten winning sequence to twenty-five, her overall winning tally to twenty-nine, her Group 1 winning record to eighteen and her overall prizemoney earnings to $18,998,424.
Early betting for the 2018 Cox Plate at Ladbrokes.com.au has Winx marked as the $1.55 favourite ahead of Humidor at $15, Johannes Vermeer at $17 and Aloisia and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes second and third placegetters Gailo Chop and Happy Clapper at $21.
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