Can Winx make it 21 straight in Turnbull Stakes?
Winx, the reigning Australian Horse of the Year, has compiled a 20-race winning streak since May 2015 with one missing element: She has never run at Flemington Racecourse, the home of the Melbourne Cup.
Winx has raced at Melbourne-area tracks, notably Moonee Valley, having won the Cox Plate in 2015 and last year. All seven of her starts this year have been at Royal Randwick or Rosehill Gardens in the Sydney area.
Saturday, Winx will have her Flemington debut in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes at 1 1/4 miles on turf against six overmatched rivals. As of Thursday, Winx was the 1-5 favorite in future-book betting.
Post time for the Turnbull Stakes is 12:15 a.m. Eastern on Saturday or 9:15 p.m. Pacific on Friday.
Trained by Chris Waller, Winx will be starting at 1 1/4 miles on turf for the first time since April, when she won the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick. Four of her wins during the streak have been at 1 1/4 miles.
Since returning to racing in August following the Australian winter, Winx has won three Group 1 or Group 2 races, ranging in distances from seven furlongs to a mile. Each race has produced a thrilling finish, with Winx closing from off the pace – and occasionally looking beaten – before reaching the wire in time.
In her last start, in the Group 1 George Main Stakes at a mile at Randwick on Sept. 16, Winx trailed by eight lengths with a half-mile to go and won by 1 1/4 lengths over Happy Clapper. A 6-year-old Australian-bred by Street Cry, Winx has won 24 of 30 starts in her career.
In the $390,153 Turnbull Stakes, Winx will be ridden by regular jockey Hugh Bowman and will break from post 2. Her main rival is Humidor, who won the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes at a mile at Flemington on Sept. 16. A 5-year-old New Zealand-bred gelding, Humidor won the Group 1 Australian Cup at 1 1/4 miles on turf at Flemington on March 11.
This will be the first meeting between Humidor and Winx.