This Week in Racing: Winx continues to amaze
The legend of Winx continues to grow. In search of a 16th Group 1 victory, Saturday's Chipping Norton Stakes at Randwick could have been a real test. After all, the great mare had been away since late October, when she notched one of her biggest wins, taking down her third straight Cox Plate victory. Alas, there were zero signs of the daughter of Street Cry needing a race, or slowing down anytime soon, for that matter.
With familiar rider Hugh Bowman in the saddle, the 7-year-old Aussie legend relaxed early, finding a comfortable position near the back of the nine-horse field. Doing what she has done so many times before, Winx began picking off her competition as they approached the turn. Running wide, the Chris Waller trainee rolled by the leaders with ease and took command 200 meters from the wire. From there, it was only yet another coronation for the overwhelming favorite. It was vintage Winx.
The 16th Group 1 win for Winx pushed her ahead of another great Australian mare, Black Caviar. Saturday's victory was also her 23rd consecutive victory. A staggering winning streak against the best of her nation, you would need to go all the way back to April of 2015 to find her last loss. She ran second that day over soft going in the 1 1/2-mile Australian Oaks. Since then, it's been nothing but wins for Winx.
A national treasure down under, she is scheduled to make her next start in the George Ryder Stakes on March 24, with a try after that in April's Queen Elizabeth II Stakes domestically. With absolutely nothing left to prove in Australia, Winx will then likely take her show on the road. The big stage of Royal Ascot in England awaits, and would be an ultimate proving ground.
Her amazing winning streak must have American race fans thinking back to one of our own stars. The reign of Winx comes only a handful of years after the remarkable winning streak of Zenyatta. The great mares, a world apart in location, but very similar in quality, class, and a refusal to lose, happen to share the same sire. What is it about these daughters of Street Cry that make them so unbeatable down the lane?
While dirt is the number one surface in the United States, there was another seasonal debut on the grass that deserves recognition. Closing like a freight train down the middle of the course, Sadler's Joy went from last to first to win Saturday's Mac Diarmida Stakes. It was a ferocious late run for the son of Kitten's Joy that carried him from seventh to winner in the last furlong plus. One of the best turf horses in the nation last year, if this performance is any indication, 2018 could be even better for the Tom Albertrani charge.
Impressive as that was, the biggest race of the day on Saturday at Gulfstream Park came on the 2018 Kentucky Derby trail, and once again, the result was unexpected. Promises Fulfilled, a son of the popular Preakness winner, Shackleford, was the latest to spring an upset on the road to Louisville, scoring a front running win at odds of 18-1 in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth Stakes.
Going in, the big story was the return of Good Magic. The Juvenile Champion of 2017 was making his first start since an impressive victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. Always in striking distance, the son of Curlin didn't have the needed kick as the field turned for home, and could do no better than third as the heavy favorite. He will need to show big improvement to win the run for the roses in two months time. An Eclipse Award winner yes, but the Chad Brown trainee still only has one career victory.
Finishing in between the winner and the beaten favorite was the previously undefeated Strike Power. Making only his third start, and his first outside of sprinting, this performance was quite solid, but neither proves nor disproves his ability to be top-notch at a route of ground.
As for the winner, trained by Dale Romans and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr., Promises Fulfilled looks like more than just a longshot, one-hit wonder. He was certainly promising in his three runs as a juvenile, and freshened since his last start, this was clearly his best race yet. In fact, he looked an awful lot like his daddy, who was well known for his speed and his ability to kick clear again early in the stretch. ZATT's Star of the Week is ... Promises Fulfilled!
On the female side of things, the march to the Kentucky Oaks continued with three stakes races of note on Saturday, and three fillies ranked on my first Kentucky Oaks Top 12 all got the job done. First, in New York, Midnight Disguise uncorked another strong late run to rush by the rest in the Busher Stakes at Aqueduct. While the competition remains to be suspect for the Linda Rice-trained daughter of Midnight Lute, her ability to close races with a flourish does not. Things will get tougher from here on out, but don't discount her, especially when she gets more pace to run at in bigger races.
In a race which turned out to be a milestone 2,000th career victory for the master horseman, Shug McGaughey, Fly So High continued her winning ways, by rolling home a winner in the Davona Dale Stakes in South Florida. Unfortunately, the impressive looking daughter of Malibu Moon was taken off in a horse ambulance after her stakes debut, due to rider, Jose Ortiz feeling something a little off after the race. As of now, it looks like she is not injured in any serious way. If she does indeed come back fine, Fly So High looks to have all the talent necessary to be a major threat on the first Friday in May. If she cannot be ready for that, watch out for her this summer.
Finally, the top rated filly on my Kentucky Oaks rankings made her first start around two-turns. A wet track and a small field proved to be no problem for the talented Midnight Bisou in the Grade 2 Santa Ysabel Stakes. She handled the new challenges with aplomb on her way to her second consecutive easy graded stakes score. The daughter of Midnight Lute continues to impress me with the way she levels off down the lane and reaches out for the wire. It's still a long way to Churchill Downs, but she remains the filly I like most at this point.