THE Chris Waller-trained Winx defied the elements to make her opponents look second rate in Saturday’s Chipping Norton Stakes at a very wet Randwick to notch her 15th straight win and 19th overall from 25 starts that to date have earned her connections A$9.84 million.

The rain came early at Randwick with the track a ‘soft seven’ for the first and downgraded to a ‘heavy 10’ after Winx’s race, the seventh.

“I was so close to scratching her but we made the right decision,” said Waller after the Street Cry mare’s 10th Group 1 win.

“Once I went for a walk on the track, I had the confidence knowing the track was safe. Once I saw that, I was happy to run her. There is a bit of expectation with this horse to run her. I didn’t want to see tomorrow’s newspaper if I didn’t run her. I am so proud of her. She is a beautiful mare.”

Settled midfield in the 10-horse field, five of whom were stablemates, the $1.25 favourite was moved up three-wide by Hugh Bowman as they approached the final bend. Cruising through the bend and up the Randwick rise, Bowman shook-up Winx over the final 200 metres as she won by two lengths from the VRC Oaks winner Lasqueti Spirit and the evergreen Who Shot Thebarman in third.

“She would be more comfortable if the surface wasn’t as wet as it is,” said Bowman of the five-year-old. “Over the final stages, when we had the race won and I stopped pushing her, she really idled down which isn’t really in her make-up.

“She got the job done but she is most effective on good ground.” Barring any changes, Waller will now send Winx to the 1,600-metre George Ryder on Golden Slipper day before tackling the $4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes over 2,000 metres on April 8th.

SURROUND STAKES

So You Think’s first Group 1 winner, the New Zealand 1000 Guineas victor La Bella Diosa, staked her ATC Oaks claims with a strong first-up win in Saturday’s Group 2 Surround Stakes over 1,400 metres at Randwick.

Revelling in the wet conditions, La Bella Diosa came from the back of the field to win by one and a half lengths from the High Chaparral filly Omei Sword and the internationally owned Flight Stakes-1000 Guineas-winning filly Global Glamour. “She has always shown a lot,” said her New Zealand co-trainer Matt Brown.

“The owners wanted to have a bit of a go at the Australian Oaks so we’ve come over early. To get a result like this is just great.”