Australia's Winx notches 26th consecutive win

The Australian supermare Winx won her 26th consecutive start in a race named in her honor, the Group 1 Winx Stakes, at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on Saturday.

Winx broke Black Caviar’s record for consecutive wins by an Australian-based horse. Black Caviar was unbeaten in her career from 2009 to 2013.

The $362,200 Winx Stakes at seven furlongs, known in past years as the Warwick Stakes, was the first start for Winx since the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes in April.

Saturday’s win moves Winx closer to a start in the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley on Oct. 27, a race she has won a record-equaling three times. The Cox Plate is Australia’s leading weight-for-age race.

Trainer Chris Waller told the Australian media on Saturday that Winx may have her next start in the Group 1 George Main Stakes at a mile at Randwick on Sept. 15.

In Saturday’s Winx Stakes, Winx (1-4) rallied from midpack to win by two lengths over 150-1 Invictus Prince. Kementari, considered Winx’s main rival and a 5-1 chance, could finish only fourth in the field of 11.

Hugh Bowman rode Winx, who has won the Warwick (or Winx Stakes) in three consecutive years. Her win in 2016 was the 10th win of the streak, while her victory in 2017 was the 18th win of the streak.

Winx, a 7-year-old mare by Street Cry, has won 30 of 36 starts. Owned by a partnership, Winx is unbeaten since a second in the Group 1 Australian Oaks in April 2015.