“SHE’S a champion,” said Chris Waller after his four-year-old, Street Cry mare, Winx had spectacularly won Saturday’s Group 1 Doncaster Mile. Choking back tears, Waller was in awe of the effort Winx had turned in to win by two lengths, having carried 56.5kg’s under the race’s handicap conditions.

“This is the longest Doncaster I’ve watched,” he said. “I thought she was beaten at the half mile, let alone the 600-metre mark. She was going nowhere and I have never seen Hughie (Bowman) have to niggle her. She just looked like she was skipping a few strides in the track. Gee, she’s got some guts.”

Slowly away, Winx was unable to take up a position from the 1,600 metre barrier, settling second last and given time to get into a rhythm. With the track condition having deteriorated during the day, her stride caused doubt in Bowman. “I’ll be honest. Today was the first time in any time I have ridden her that halfway through the race I was concerned,” he confirmed.

With the field compressing as they hit the final bend Bowman rode for luck as a wall of horses separated him from the bolter Vergara who was two lengths clear. Darting through two gaps, Winx found clear galloping room with 300 metres to run. Nipping at her heels were the lightweights Happy Clapper and Azkadellia, but despite their 6kg advantage, they were no match.

NO MATCH

The Teofilo gelding Happy Clapper had to settle for second ahead of the Shinko King mare Azkadellia. “She wasn’t overly comfortable in it so the fact that she wasn’t comfortable and still produced that finish is something only a horse of champion qualities can do. I’m elated,” said Bowman.

In receipt of thunderous applause on her return, Winx stretched her current winning streak to nine, in a sequence that has included six Group 1’s.

Her record now stands at 13 wins from 19 starts and just over AUS$6.67 million in earnings. The win was also a sixth Doncaster for Chris Waller who has won the past four editions.

“She is quite an amazing horse, I don’t know how else to describe it,” added Waller with no hint of hyperbole. “We took on the handicapper and she won.” On Tuesday Chris Waller updated his plans for Winx, withdrawing her from this Saturday’s $4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes to have her ready for a Cox Plate defense in late October. The same day Winx’s Snitzel half-brother topped day one of the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, selling for $2.3 million to a syndicate headed by Gai Waterhouse and Emirates Park’s Hussain Lootah.