Latest News

By Ray Hickson

Where were you when…?

There are select moments in sport that can finish that sentence, moments etched in the fabric of Australian culture and one of those is about to happen at Royal Randwick on Saturday April 14.

Winx. If you haven’t heard that name, look her up. You’re in for a treat.

She’s the best racehorse in the world, undefeated for the last three years and she’s about to provide an unforgettable spectacle when she races for 25 straight victories in Sydney’s signature race – the Group 1 $4m Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Only one horse has achieved such a feat in Australian racing history. Her name is Black Caviar.

And it’s fitting that Winx will sit alongside her undefeated peer almost five years to the day that 25-win record was struck.

There’s all sorts of theories as to what makes Winx such a once-in-a-lifetime animal.

She’s fast, obviously, but science has proven she’s faster than anything we’ve seen – she takes 170 strides (of 7m) per minute which is 30 more than the average racehorse.

WINXNESS history! Can @winx_horse make it 25 straight in the $4m @Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes at @royalrandwick on April 14? @ChampionshipsRR #GoWinx pic.twitter.com/GfszBQAfOQ

— Racing NSW (@racing_nsw) April 6, 2018

She’s tough - she’s overcome slow starts, interference, wet tracks, dry tracks, you name it.

She makes it look all too easy and you get the sense she knows she’s a champion.

But her trainer Chris Waller make a point of not treating her any differently among the large stable of horses he’s responsible for.

Winx is fed, worked, washed and groomed just like any other – it’s what she does on the racecourse that stands her apart. 34 starts, 28 wins – a record 17 of those at the elite Group 1 level – and over $16.5 million in prizemoney (and counting).

Waller will follow the same routine that has worked the last 24 times in the coming days but the work has basically already been done as anyone who attended The Championships Day 1 will have seen.

She’s not just a racehorse. She’s a freak. Some people say better than Phar Lap.

Few of us living can say we saw Phar Lap but we all have the chance to say we saw Winx because it’s very rare that you know when a defining moment will take place.

That’s what makes them special. But Winx is different, racing fans have come to expect something extraordinary every time she races.

So, knowing one of those ‘where were you when’ moments is just days away there’s no excuse to miss it. Is there?

‘I was there when Winx made it 25 straight wins in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Royal Randwick on April 14’.

There you have it. April 14, your date with the Queen!

Check out the entries, form and replays for Day 2 of The Championships at Royal Randwick