Winx gunning for three-peat in George Ryder Stakes

The seemingly invincible Winx can continue her devastation of Australia’s racing record books in Saturday’s Grade 1 George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill Gardens outside of Sydney.

Winx has won 23 consecutive starts and 16 Group 1 races and appears impossible to beat in the $770,000 George Ryder Stakes at 7 1/2 furlongs. The distance may be a rarity for a Grade 1 race, but the territory is familiar to Winx, a 6-year-old mare by Street Cry.

During her winning streak, Winx has won 15 races at distances ranging from seven furlongs to a mile, including the last two runnings of the George Ryder.

Trained by Chris Waller for a partnership, Winx has started once this year, winning the Grade 1 Chipping Norton Stakes at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on March 3. Ridden by regular rider Hugh Bowman, Winx was 1-11 with bookmakers. She won accordingly, closing from the back of the field to win by seven lengths over Prized Icon.

The margin of victory was the widest since her win in the George Ryder Stakes by 7 1/4 lengths last March.

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Winx, the two-time Australian Horse of the Year, became Australia’s all-time leader in Group 1 wins in the Chipping Norton, surpassing the 15 victories by the brilliant sprinter Black Caviar from 2009-13. Black Caviar retired unbeaten in 25 races.

In the George Ryder, Winx has only five rivals, but two were Group 1 winners in their last starts – Happy Clapper and Kementari.

Happy Clapper won the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs at Randwick on March 10 in his first start of the year. Last October, the 7-year-old Happy Clapper was sixth behind Winx in the Group 1 Cox Plate at Moonee Valley, Australia’s leading weight-for-age race. Happy Clapper has lost to Winx six times.

Kementari has won his last three starts, all this calendar year, including the Group 1 Randwick Guineas at a mile. Kementari has won 4 of 9 starts in his career for Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin Racing.

The George Ryder Stakes has a post time of 11:45 p.m. Eastern.

The richest race on the Rosehill Gardens program is the Grade 1 Golden Slipper Stakes, for 2-year-olds at six furlongs and worth $1.54 million. The race drew an oversubscribed field of 20 and will be limited to 16 starters.

Sunlight, a filly by Zoustar, is likely to go favored. Trained by Tony McEvoy, Sunlight has won her last five starts, including three stakes.