Winx seeks to extend streak in Optic White Stakes

Through her historic 26-race winning streak, the Australian superstar Winx has won 15 races at Royal Randwick Racecourse on the outskirts of Sydney, including 10 Group 1 races.

Two of those wins came in September 2016 and 2017 in the Group 1 Optic White Stakes at a mile, a race known historically as the George Main Stakes. Friday, Winx is back at Randwick for the latest running of the $358,450 Optic White Stakes, which is unlikely to interrupt her winning streak.

As of Wednesday, Winx was the 1-10 favorite in the future book to beat seven rivals in the Optic White Stakes, which has a post time of 1:10 a.m. Eastern on Saturday, or 10:10 p.m. Pacific on Friday.

Winx won a race named in her honor – the Group 1 Winx Stakes at seven furlongs at Randwick on Aug. 18 – in her first start of the Australian spring season. She closed from the middle of the 11-horse field to take a comfortable lead in the final sixteenth and prevail by two lengths under regular rider Hugh Bowman. In the 2017 Optic White Stakes, Winx won by 1 1/4 lengths as the 2-17 favorite.

Trained by Chris Waller, Winx is an 8-year-old by Northern Hemisphere standards, but 7 in the Southern Hemisphere. She was foaled seven years ago this Thursday.

Waller trains five of the eight runners in the Optic White Stakes, including Unforgotten, a 4-year-old filly who was sixth behind Winx in the Winx Stakes last month. Unforgotten won the Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes at a mile at Randwick on Sept. 1, a race Winx won in 2017 but was not part of this year.

Le Romain is among the runners in the Optic White Stakes not trained by Waller. Trained by Kris Lees, Le Romain won a Group 3 handicap at six furlongs at Randwick on Aug. 18, and was seventh in the Group 2 Tramway Stakes at seven furlongs at Randwick on Sept. 1, beaten 1 1/2 lengths by the Waller-trainer Comin’ Through.