FEATURE STORY
SHE’S A PERFECT 10
Winx was the mare that truly stopped a nation, time and time again. Recently celebrating her tenth birthday, we take a look back at where the champion came from, and her journey now. IWinx’s future dominance was unimaginable during her early career, where the mare was highly promising but by no means exceptional. After winning her first three starts, Winx finished second twice in 2014 in Randwick features the Group 2 Tea Rose Stakes, then the Group 1 Flight Stakes, where she was soundly conquered on both occasions by the John Thompson trained First Seal. Winx’s next five starts would yield victory in the Phar Lap Stakes (G2) plus three unplaced runs, plus a second in the Group 1 ATC Australian Oaks (2400m) before she was given a freshen up. This is when the penny dropped, with Winx returning midway through 2015 to take out the Sunshine Coast Guineas to kick off her winning streak. One of Winx’s owners Debbie Kepitis considers the barnstorming last-to-first victory the moment she knew the horse “had something special”. Watching Winx’s heroics on the racetrack always triggered a rollercoaster of emotions, as Kepitis commented at the height of Winx’s career. “It’s quite tense. It’s quite stressful. But none of that makes a difference on race day with her. She just goes out and does the job that she knows and loves and does so well.” Kepitis admits momentarily thinking Winx would get beaten several times, especially in the 2018 Turnbull Stakes at Flemington when caught behind a wall of horses, but then marvelling at her uncanny ability to find extra gears and prevail. “In the Turnbull when she was caught behind everything it was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is going to be it [the time she loses] we better just think about this and just watch it. It’s fine, it doesn’t matter, she has done her job and we’re just pleased that she’s alright.’ And then she just steps out and comes home,” said Kepitis. It’s a feeling fellow part-owner Peter Tighe became familiar with while watching his mare grow into a superstar. “We look back very fondly
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