With Winx the 'world's best,' her next goal: go out on top
LONDON -- Winners of 29 straight races, Winx and her connections are no strangers to collecting trophies off the track, too.
The Australian mare has been named her home nation's Horse of the Year for three consecutive seasons, became the third horse to be inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame while still running last year, was voted the 2018 Secretariat Vox Populi Award winner, and on Jan. 23 was announced the Longines World’s Best Racehorse along with Cracksman at the Landmark Hotel in London.
Winx had been in previous years rated the world’s best mare and the world’s best turf horse. This time, International Federation of Horseracing Authorities’ Rankings Committee recognized her Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) victory at Royal Randwick on equal footing with European runner Cracksman's finale in the Qipco Champions Stakes (G1) at Ascot on British Champions Day.
“Now we can really say she is the world’s best horse because she’s done it at the top,” said one of Winx's owners, Debbie Kepitis, who joined Magic Bloodstock’s Peter Tighe for a recent ceremony in London, where they and trainer Chris Waller each received new Longines Conquest Classic watches.
“Yes, she was the world’s best mare. She was the world’s best on turf,” Kepitis added. “They were huge accolades. But now there’s nothing else on top of her. We’ve done it with Cracksman. What a great horse to do the joint award with.”
After notching her big performance last April, Winx returned in August to win a race already in her name, the Winx Stakes (G1) at Randwick. It was her third victory in what was formerly known as the Warwick Stakes. The daughter of Street Cry continued her campaign with victories in the Colgate Optic White Stakes (G1) and Tab Turnbull Stakes (G1).
Those scores led her back to Moonee Valley, where she captured an unprecedented fourth consecutive Ladbrokes Cox Plate (G1) over multiple Group 1 winner Benbatl.
“It’s hard to put into words,” Kepitis said. “It’s the pride you have like she’s your daughter. It’s like they’ve done something amazing at school. She just keeps doing these amazing things.”
“When she goes out onto the track, the crowd roars," Waller, her trainer, added. "The barriers open, the crowd roars. When she hits the front, the crowd roars. And when she comes back after winning a race, it’s just something unbelievable.”
Winx is known for her explosive turn of foot, which has propelled her to the lengthy winning streak dating back to May 2015. She’s also won a world record 22 Group 1s.
The 8-year-old mare will go for her 30th straight win on Feb. 16 in the Apollo Stakes (G2) at Randwick. She won the race in 2016 and 2017 while skipping it a year ago.
It is her late kick that keeps fans on their toes and excited at the same time.
“Fortunately doesn’t just win the last 50 meters of the race,” Waller said. “She actually gets there well before that so we can actually enjoy the last part of the race.”
The mare has gained fans from all over the world, as she’s continued to rack up accomplishments. The Secretariat Vox Populi Award is voted on by everyday racing fans, who chose Winx over Justify, Accelerate, Monomoy Girl and Enable. A record 60 countries voted for Winx, who was the top choice in the U.S. and internationally.
Connections traveled to Santa Anita Park to be presented with the Vox Populi Award Jan. 12. They arrived at the Arcadia, Calif., track with fans of their horse already waiting to see them.
“It was quite a shock actually because we were doing some signings of some posters,” Tighe said. “When we arrived at the track there was a lineup of probably 100, 150 people, which we’re not used to in Australia.”
Fans who had visited Australia to watch Winx race asked connections if they remembered meeting. Kepitis had previously met a man who traveled from Canada and a woman from Kentucky to watch Winx race in Australia, and more stood in line at Santa Anita.
“Santa Anita was really interesting to see the mountains behind the track, to watch the racing,” she said. “But to arrive at the track, and know that we had posters to give away, and there’s a lineup of people wanting signatures because they’re fans of her? It was just very touching.”
Everyday fans aren’t the only ones who follow Winx. When Waller visited London two years ago to celebrate Winx as the best mare and the best turf horse, Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert was there to accept Arrogate’s first Longines World’s Best Racehorse Award and told the Australian conditioner, ‘We watch Winx.’”
“To get the recognition of someone like Bob Baffert, to know that they watch Winx, they’re familiar with her, to know what she’s done, and that was well at the start of her career, that’s important to me,” Waller said. “The attention that she brings, it’s been a great privilege meeting every other person since Bob Baffert who wants to talk about Winx, who’s interested in her. She’s a horse that you never get sick of talking about.”
This is expected to be Winx’s last season of racing before she starts her new career as a broodmare. The longevity of her career has only strengthened her fan base, as it is rare to see a top horse race through its 8-year-old season.
“If she was a colt, she wouldn’t be here,” Tighe said. “She would be off to stud. These days, the dollars are so strong to stud duties that they don’t race older colts.”
While Winx has been criticized for not facing competition outside of Australia, her carefully managed campaign has allowed her to thrill fans for this long. Her win over Benbatl in the Cox Plate backed up her resume. The Godolphin runner was fresh off a win in the Caulfield Stakes (G1) in Australia. Earlier in 2018, he won the Grosser Dallmayr-Preis (G1) in Germany and the Dubai Turf (G1).
Winx received a break in training following the Cox Plate, allowing her time to relax. Tighe said the connections visit her while she is on vacation, but the mare tells the staff when she’s ready to begin training again.
“She’s a loving soul. She loves her own company,” Tighe said. “She wouldn’t do anything to hurt anybody. She’s great with kids. But after a spelling three of four weeks, or five weeks, she knows it’s time to come in and she is the one that tells the handlers.
"She’s the one that doesn’t want to go out in the paddock. And once she gets in the stables, she knows it’s business. There’s a different aura about her when she’s in the stable because she’s keen to race the other horses and she’s keen to compete.”
Although competitive in nature, Waller described Winx's personality in his stable in a similar manner. She’s a threatening force in the home stretch, but Waller said she is quiet at the start and allows Bowman to position her where he feels is best.
“She’s very relaxed and very calm,” Waller said. “Very unassuming to say that she’s a world champion and been at that level for so long. She’s a perfect lady, a lovely horse to look after, and she’s a very special horse in that way.”
While Winx does what she is asked, she appears to know the difference between morning barrier trials and afternoon races. She rarely wins in the group fitness tests, but gets what she needs out of them and saves her best for the actual races.
“If she wanted to win them, we’d let her,” Tighe said. “The jockey’s there just to send her around, to get her up to her peak fitness. Trials are good if they’re used in the right manner. Not just for her, but some horses love to run freely and they win all their trials. With her it’s just, like you said, I think she knows it’s practice day. It’s not the main day. The crowd’s not there and she does just what she has to do.”
Winx last trialed Jan. 29 at Rosehill Gardens and finished within a length of the two horses in front of her. The 1,000-meter test was more eye catching than her Jan. 15 trial, where she didn’t get going until late into the 900 meters and found her best stride after the wire.
She’s now two weeks out from her first start since October, and the mare has given Waller every indication she still wants to race.
“We’re looking to see when she’s starting to trail off, when she’s starting to lose that dominance,” he said. “And as soon as we see that sign, she will be retired and she’ll be a mom, which is an exciting part of her next chapter. But she’s not showing any signs of slowing down.”
It might be the beginning of Winx’s farewell tour in Australia, but connections are still taking it one race at a time instead of focusing on her swan song. They’ll continue to enjoy the thrills Winx brings this season, along with her fanbase, and appreciate her historic run.
“She doesn’t just go out there and win,” Kepitis said. “She gets knocked over – almost knocked over. She misses the start and still wins. She gets competition that is going off and flying off out in front and she has to run down phenomenal sectionals to get there.
“Your heart’s in your mouth, but she is amazing.”