Saturday saw the return of Australian racing's pin-up girl Winx and after giving racegoers a genuine heart flutter, she duly delivered with one of her best ever wins at Randwick.
In my travels around the racecourse on Saturday I came across some serious and entertaining items that took my fancy.
THE WALL OF SILENCE
The subject of why Ron Quinton's three runners we're all scratched at 5.23pm on Friday afternoon was off limits at Randwick on Saturday.
Chief steward Marc Van Gestel offered a flat "no comment" when approached on the subject while the trainer in question was uncontactable.
The racing rumour mill was in overdrive on Saturday as to the reason for the scratchings of Dixie Blossom, the favourite for the Group III Toy Show Quality and Daysee Doom and Boss Lane from the Group III Show County Quality.
Very much a case of watch this space.
IS WINX BECOMING A BUSINESS?
The management team behind superstar mare Winx have launched a "brand identity" and twitter handle for the Chris Waller-trained mare.
Winx (Official) as the twitter account is known, released the mare's new logo on Friday.
"Our Official brand identity & logo for Winx. A strong & timeless brand mark that represents the champion mare that she is. #winxhorse," @winx_horse (Winx (Official)) tweeted.
Winx's managing part-owner Peter Tighe said at Randwick on Saturday that the owners only have intentions of setting up an official website and Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages for their superstar to allow potential new racegoers a hub to get information about Australia's best galloper.
He said there's no intention of setting up commercial arrangements with wagering providers like Black Caviar Racing (BCR) did during the former champion's career.
WINX THE AFTERMARTH
She never ceases to amaze but I've no doubt I wasn't the only media man at Randwick on Saturday thinking how are we going to write this after she missed the start and spotted them five lengths.
Even Kerrin McEvoy thought he was going to be given the tag of 'the man that shot Bambi' declaring he thought he had the mare beat.
"Yeah I did," he said.
The timing mechanism in Winx's saddle was damaged during her barrier experience and failed to register the mare's sectional times. Vince Accardi from Daily Sectionals advised Winx ran her last 600m in a sizzling 31.98 seconds.
What about the high price traded on Winx during the run at Betfair. Some believers got as high as $5 after the barriers opened.
WHAT A TRAINING PERFORMANCE
It had been 1050 days since Auvray last won a race so credit where credit is due to his trainer, racing media personality Richard Freedman.
Yours truly had been on the French import at his past two starts and as is often the case I flicked the horse one run too early.
I spoke to Freedman pre-race while he was scoffing down a pie in the media room and he told me he'd "worked him extremely hard" since his last run and he thought he'd run a "cheeky race".
"I'm telling you he'll run well," he said.
Run well he did, Auvray ($17) mowed down the $1.65 favourite Sayed in the last couple of bounds to the cheers of the bookmakers.
True to my work Richard, you're a genius getting that horse to win but let's see if you can do it again when he lines up in the Newcastle Cup.
MORE TO GAIN BY BEING SCRATCHED
There wasn't a track upgrade or downgrade but Racing NSW stewards allowed the late scratching of More To Gain on a "welfare basis" at Randwick on Saturday.
On Saturday morning, the track was rated a good (3) but many jockeys said the surface rode more like a good (2) throughout the day and More To Gain's co-trainer Amanda Turner approached stewards prior to the previous race requesting to scratch her horse.
"He's a horse that has had previous issues," chief steward Marc Van Gestel said. "With the strong winds the track has dried to the firmer side of a good (3).
"On that basis, we allowed the scratching due to the welfare of the horse."
THE RANDWICK TARMAC
Gale force winds combined with a rock-hard surface saw three track records lowered on Saturday.
Dracarys was the first to put his name into future racebooks when he stopped the clock at 1.14.76 for the 1300m in the Up And Coming Stakes. Sweet Redemption also ran quicker than Charlie Boy's old 1300m record (1.15.08) when she won the Toy Show Quality in 1.14.96.
Deploy also broke That's A Good Idea's 1200m time standard (1.08.15) when recording 1.08.06 in the Show County Quality before Marc Conners' mare Super Too never gave her rivals a look in running 55.72 (hand-timed) in the Primo Handicap (1000m). De Lightning Ridge was the former record holder with a time of 55.92.
HOW QUICKLY WE FORGET
There was a new jockey riding at the Gold Coast on Saturday according to the TAB – Ms D McLellan.
The D McLellan I remember was Darryl 'Digger' McLellan a two-time Group I-winning rider that was one of only five jockeys to have won a race aboard Lonhro.
McLellan had been out of action for most of this decade before his comeback, having been riding trackwork on the Gold Coast for top trainer Toby Edmonds over the past few months.
He returned to the races on Saturday and his four rides returned one second placing.
