Australia: Winx heavy favorite in George Main Stakes

Winx, Australia’s leading horse, can extend her winning streak to 11 races when she starts as an overwhelming favorite in Saturday’s Group 1 George Main Stakes at a mile on turf at Royal Randwick, outside of Sydney.

Winx is unbeaten since April, 2015 and won her first start of the 2016-17 season in the Group 2 Warwick Stakes at Randwick on Aug. 20. A 5-year-old by Street Cry, Winx has won six Group 1 races. The $373,300 George Main Stakes is the first of three starts in Group 1 races for Winx over the five weeks, a schedule expected to include the Caulfield Stakes on Oct. 8, and the Cox Plate on Oct. 22

Winx won the 2015 Cox Plate, Australia’s leading weight-for-age race.

Trained by Chris Waller for a partnership that includes Magic Bloodstock Racing, Winx was as low as 1-5 in future-book betting on Wednesday for the George Main Stakes. Winx will be ridden by Hugh Bowman and is part of a field of eight.

Waller has two other runners in the race – Spiritjim, who was 12th in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in Paris last October, and Vanburgh, who was fifth behind Winx in the Warwick Stakes. If there is a challenge for Winx, it could come from Hauraki, who won the Group 2 Tramway Stakes at Randwick on Sept. 3 for trainer John O’Shea.