The legion of Winx fans let at a collective groan when the great mare missed the start by four lengths in Saturday's $250,000 Group II Bob Ingham Warwick Stakes (1400m) at Randwick, however, for the 18th consecutive time, it was all cheers at the finish.
Regular rider Hugh Bowman let Winx catch the field under her own steam. On the home turn, the 6yo mare was eased to the outside to mount her challenge.
Stablemate Foxplay had hit the lead and was full of running and for the briefest of moments, an upset looked on the cards.
But there was no stopping the champion who was devouring the ground in the final 100
metres .
The daughter of Street Cry (IRE) defeated Foxplay (Foxwedge) by a half-neck with a long back to the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained Ecuador (High Chaparral) who was his typically game self. (photos Steve Hart).
Bowman admitted he was worried in the run.
"At the 700 I thought this isn't good, I don't want to be here," Bowman said.
"The way the track conditions are, they're running very slick times, I was thinking it could be mathematically impossible to catch them but there was nothing I could do.
"All I could do was rely on the engine in her. I couldn't take off at the 700 to get closer or I would have run out of gas.
"I just had to have confidence in her and ride her to run a race."
"It was an amazing feeling the last 200 - what can I say, she's a freak.
"She's just so much better than them and I had to rely on that to win the race."
Winning trainer Chris Waller said he was a bit numb when Winx missed the start so badly.
"Hugh never panicked," Waller said.
"When you put the reins in his hands you know you've got the right man aboard. He
realised he had to make up a bit of ground and used the full length of the straight to do it.
"She gave them a fair head start and it's very special to know you've got a horse that everybody appreciates so much.
"Thank God she got the job done."
Waller indicated Winx would make her next start in the Group II Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on September 2 with her ultimate goal a third consecutive Cox Plate at Moonee Valley on October 28."She has come back that bit bigger," he said. "I'd say she will be back here in two weeks."
In winning her 20th stakes race Winx advances her record to 22 wins and three seconds from 28 starts with earnings of $13,039,175 and has the $14,526,685 earnings of triple Melbourne Cup heroine Makybe Diva in her sights.
Bred by John Camilleri's Fairway Thoroughbreds, Winx was a $230,000 Magic Millions purchase from the Coolmore draft for Peter Tighe's Magic Bloodstock.
A half-sister to Group III Kindergarten Stakes winner El Divino, Winx is out of the Al Akbar mare Vegas Showgirl who has an unnamed 3yo colt by Snitzel that was purchased for $2,300,000 out of the Segenhoe Stud draft by Gai Waterhouse Racing / J Blaxland at the 2016 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Vegas Showgirl a yearling Snitzel filly and was covered by Exceed And Excel last spring.
