SENT off a $1.09 favourite in last Saturday’s Group 1 George Main Stakes at Randwick, Winx did as was expected, posting her 11th straight win.

Dropped out and allowed to amble along at the back, Winx glided into the race approaching the bend before chiming in as one of five abreast at the 300 metres.

Forging clear, only Hauraki briefly matched strides with the Street Cry mare before peaking to finish a length and a third away in second. A further three lengths back was his stablemate, the American-bred Dynaformer gelding It’s Somewhat.

“Today’s win wasn’t a gap job, wasn’t intended to be either. She’s had four weeks between runs, just need to know where she is, plus we needed to win heading to the bigger targets,” said jockey Hugh Bowman.

“She is going to meet better horses now, she’s ticked this box but I’m under no illusions. We only saw Hartnell win here 40 minutes ago and he put a margin on his opposition. She’s beaten inferior opposition today, but there is going to be nowhere to hide when we get to Melbourne.”

The win concludes Winx’s Sydney spring as she now heads south to prepare for the Cox Plate in late October. It was her seventh Group 1 win and, aside from running second in the Flight Stakes as a three-year-old, she has been unbeaten at her next four starts, all Group 1s, over the Randwick mile. She becomes just the fourth mare to breach the A$7 million barrier in Australia, following Sunline, Makybe Diva and Black Caviar.

“It was a tradesman-like win but she only does what we ask her to do, hence the reason she never wins a barrier trial,” said Waller of Saturday’s effort. “She has had four weeks between runs so we didn’t want to give her a gut-buster, either. We can go to the Caulfield Stakes in three weeks and then two weeks after that to the Cox Plate. This has always been the original plan and nothing has changed there.”