Royal Ascot beckons ‘modern day Phar Lap’ Winx

Wonder mare Winx was being compared to Phar Lap, widely regarded as the best to have raced in Australia, after she romped home a seven-length winner of Saturday’s G1 Chipping Norton Stakes at Randwick.

In chalking up this effortless victory, Winx recorded her 23rd consecutive win, she joined John Henry as a 16-time Group 1 winner, and she increased the pressure on connections to bring her to Royal Ascot in June.

Of all her wins, this was perhaps her most authoritative and strenghtened the call for the daughter of former Darley stallion Street Cry to ship to Britain for a Northern Hemisphere summer and a crack at the G1 Queen Anne Stakes.

While Australasian experts are in no doubt that Winx is the best seen in the modern era, in other parts of the world the question is frequently asked: what is she beating on her home ground?

Trainer Chris Waller, who knows well the demands of bringing a horse to the Royal Meeting in the UK, is coming under pressure to give Winx the chance to prove herself in Europe.

Clearly, she is as good as she has ever been. A decision on whether she travels — or stays at home to attempt a fourth Cox Plate triumph — will be taken after she contests the G1 George Ryder Stakes in Sydney on 24 March.

Jockey Hugh Bowman, who continued his great association with Winx, was able to enjoy the moment. “She has been filling me with confidence all preparation,” he said.

“She is at her most vulnerable early in her preparation over the shorter distances. 

“This time, at 1,600m, in a nice genuinely run race, I had a lovely run close to the rear of the field, but she just travelled so kindly,” he explained.

Elsewhere, the G1 Australian Guineas was won by a new star, Grunt, a son of New Zealand sire (deceased) O’Reilly, who overcame a wide draw at Flemington to record a brilliant win over the capable Peaceful State.