The Sydney Racing tips meeting this weekend of The Championships at Randwick will see an end of an era and her name is Winx. The $4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes will be Winx last run, she has drawn barrier 9 and is a raging $1.06 favourite. Here we tell the racing legend of Winx and her magical feats including the Cox Plate.
So here is the Cox Plate and legend of Winx story…
It was the first time I had met him. “Hello Darling my names Larry I’ll be helping you out today”. It was jockey Larry Cassidy he seemed nice enough and I felt could trust him. You see things hadn’t been going so well in my life I mean I was enjoying getting fit and going out to play with my friends every Saturday but I wasn’t keeping my family totally happy.
I heard Chris Waller the man who was looking after me tell everyone around the stables that I perhaps wouldn’t amount to much and we need to find an “easy” Group 1 for me to win and that would be about as far as I’d go. I didn’t know what all this meant at the time but I was put on a truck and we headed north to Queensland. So here I was about to go out to play again and as I walked out on to the track I heard the race caller say “Group 3 Guineas” so it must be they couldn’t find an “easy” Group 1 so they got me this instead.
“Right” I said to myself I’m going to try harder than I ever have today I need to do better. Well things weren’t going totally to plan. Larry, the man who was going to help me out for the day grabbed my reigns at the start and had me back near last so I had to go past nearly every horse if I was going to win, we turned for home and things looked hopeless. We were a mile back and I just remember thinking to myself “its now or never”.
So there I was near the back of the field with 400m to go and I went for it, I got past a couple of horses early in the straight and I was picking up a couple more and then bang it happened. In a moment I went from going fast to really fast it was as though all the training I had done suddenly clicked together and I went into overdrive and went past every horse nearly like they were standing still stretching on to win well.
Everyone seemed happy afterwards and I felt happy too. It was an amazing feeling to run like a jet engine and I wanted to feel it again. Chris must have liked what he saw because he gave me another chance to run again, this time in a Group 1, and I was ready.
So meet Hugh…
So there I was in the Mounting yard looking for Larry but I couldn’t see him anywhere, and this other fellow wearing blue jumped on my back and rubbed my neck. He said I’m Hugh and will guide you around today and I know you will do your best. There was something different about this man I couldn’t quite tell what it was but he was very calm and he moulded to me almost like being just an extra part of me. I wanted him to guide me around all the time so I thought I’m going to do even better than last time because Larry didn’t stick around.
I drop to the back before I go whoooshka…
Hugh seemed to like what Larry had done because he dropped me back as well but I was going well on the turn and I had a different feeling when we straightened this time I knew what I could do and I knew I was going to win, I just went to work again and whooshka sure enough we sprinted straight past them all and ran away from them.
It was better than last time and I was hooked. Chris seemed really happy and I think I had changed his mind about me and he thought it was time for me to have a little holiday so I went to rest in the paddock and enjoy myself.
Tulloch, Phar Lap, Kingston Town, Makybe Diva…..
Whilst on holidays I wondered how good I could be I dreamt of the greats of the turf like Tulloch and Phar Lap and Kingston Town and Makybe Diva and I wanted to be just like them the best of my time, I would do my best to make sure I was remembered.
A few months later it was time to get back to the “office” and I was ready to be the best. I didn’t know if people would remember me because I hadn’t been around for a while and in the mounting yard I looked around and couldn’t see Hugh, surely he hadn’t forgotten about me? I ran as quick as I’ve ever run for him!
Shortly after I heard a whisper in my ear. ‘Hi there, the names James or J-Mac my girl”. It was the star jockey of the moment James McDonald, so I had an extra special feeling that he thought I was good enough to be his ride. But I was secretly wishing Hugh would come back. So out we went I rounded the field up quickly in the straight and raced away I knew I was good now and I felt unbeatable.
I got a pleasant surprise at my next start as “Hughy” jumped on my back and that amazing feeling I had when he jumped on me last time returned. I thought right you will not be leaving me from this day forward. I put in an extra special run that day I picked the field up easily. But I thought I am going to really put them away just to make sure Hugh felt the speed he has never had before. We won by 4 lengths running away and Hugh said wow girl that was amazing you’re a ride for life great job. I knew in that moment that my chances of being remembered had increased greatly.
Chris puts me in the Cox Plate
I went on to win easily again and then came the “Grand Final” Chris’s estimation of me had increased immeasurably and I could tell he looked at me different now he loved me and I knew it. The Cox Plate the greatest weight for age event in Australia and I was in it this is the race the great Kingston Town had won three times and I knew it was a race I had to win.
I felt good in the run we were middle of the pack and we moved up before the turn I knew I had it won we hit the front drew away with a winning lead and Hugh was kind to me the last 100m. It is something I will forever be grateful for with Hugh is most of the time he just let me run the occasional reminder with the whip but in general he knew my engine and placed me where I needed to be, I always gave him my best.
I remember coming back to the yard that day and everyone was as happy as I had ever seen them it felt good and I felt great deep within me was that yearning to be remembered and I felt like I was well on my way.
And another Cox Plate…and another!
I had another little holiday and then went about my business winning everything I was entered for Cox Plate day came around again and although I had enjoyed winning all of these races in a row (it was 12 by this point) I really wanted to make a statement. So out we went it was as though he knew what I was thinking that day because unlike last year when he eased me down this time he let me run my heart out all the way to win by a record 8 lengths.
Ok I thought Kingston Town won three and if I can do that I will be remembered that is all I could think about in my holiday that year I wanted to win three Cox Plates in a row.
My Autumn Racing Carnival went exactly to plan winning everything making it 17 wins straight and I felt great Chris knew me on a level like never before he knew me intimately now and he could tell if I even looked sideways differently than normal like Hugh it was as though he was an extension of me and knew what I was thinking and feeling at any stage, I think he knew I wanted that third Cox Plate and we were on target.
Its as nervous as I’ve ever been walking out on to the track for that third Cox Plate there was a sea of blue around the Moonee Valley racecourse and over the last year or so I had become somewhat of a big deal and as we went into this race I had won 21 straight. I also knew that if I won this race it would be 3 Cox Plates in a row just like Kingston Town.
I knew I was the best horse in the race and Hugh did as well. He had me off the rail out of trouble and we raced three wide no cover from the 1000m up to the turn I felt good. But I had done some work we kicked in the straight and I was getting a bit tired when I heard this horse up on my outside I dug in like never before. This horse wasn’t going to beat me not today, and he didn’t as Humidor came as close as anyone has for a long time but I stuck my neck out to win by less than a half length.
Coming back to scale that day was one of my great moments everyone was in tears of happiness about what I had done that day it felt good to be great.
I thought about nothing for a while on my holiday then the though entered my mind, could I do what no other horse had done and win four Cox Plates? For sure I would be remembered forever then. I needed everything to go right in particular I needed Chris to keep me fit as a fiddle he had done an amazing job looking after me. He seems to know if I’m sore before I do he truly has a sixth sense. Yes I thought a fourth Cox Plate that’s what I really want.
I raced through the Autumn Racing Carnival just as I did the year before, winning everything and continue doing so in the Spring entering the fourth Melbourne Racing tips Cox Plate with 28 straight wins.
And another Cox Plate number 4
Moonee Valley felt so much different that day, and so did I. I had put so much pressure on myself to win it the year before so I could equal Kingston Town and this day felt different it felt more like a celebration than expectation or maybe I misread the crowd and they just trusted me to win anyway.
All that said it was a happy race for me, no pressure run my best and the rest will look after itself. It certainly did I was always travelling in the run Hughy took me to the front and when we had it won he let me run on my own steam the last bit. Four in a row I thought wow unbelievable as I came back.
The Last Hurrah Sydney Racing tips Autumn Carnival 2019
As I went for my holiday that year I knew that was the last time I would run un the Cox Plate and after 29 straight wins there wasn’t much for me to do, I wanted to finish in my hometown and Autumn would be the last time I would race.
As I returned there was a lot of fanfare about my return to racing but my focus was on being my best and leaving with the longest winning sequence which I had hoped would reach 33 by the time I retired. Well as I sit here writing this before the Sydney Racing tips Queen Elizabeth Stakes I sit at 32 straight wins with one left, and I can tell you I’m not stopping now, you can be sure I will make it 33 on Saturday to end this in the best possible way.
I’m just a horse who has come a long way from not knowing how to win to now not knowing how to lose. I wish to thank my owners for taking care of me, Chris for knowing exactly what I need and when I need it and Hugh for being my partner in crime when we go into battle.
Finally to you the Australian public I hope you have enjoyed my journey and in some way I have made your life more enjoyable even if it is just for the 1-2 minutes it takes for me to race. I have had the best life and am proud to have reached my greatness.
Kind Regards,
WINX – Champion racehorse