Winx is often cited as one of the best racehorses in history. While such accolades are always based on subjective opinion, the mare’s record is truly incredible: 37 wins and three places in 43 races. That run included 25 Group 1 wins, which is an all-time record. While some racing fans and rating agencies might cite Secretariat, Phar Lap, Frankel or a handful of others as the best of all time, Winx is almost always in the conversation.
Winx was foaled in 2011. Dubai World Cup winner Street Cry was her sire, and Vegas Showgirl was her dam. She was sold as a yearling for $230,000 to Magic Bloodstock Racing and pegged to be trained by Chris Waller. Winx made her debut at Warwick Farm on 4th June 2014, winning a low-key handicap race by just under a length. Later in 2014, she would record her first major race victory, winning the Group 2 Furious Stakes.
After a slow start, Winx became a record-breaker
Winx’s three-year-old season was somewhat erratic, with the mare going on a (relatively) poor run through late 2014 and early 2015, winning just one race in seven starts. By May 2015 when she was set to make her 11th start at Sunshine Coast, her record read 3-3-0. But then, something extraordinary happened: Winx never lost a race again, winning 33 consecutive races across almost four years.
As you might expect, Winx became a hero to the Australian public. Obviously, her success meant she was beloved by punters, and the bane of Australian bookmakers like Tattsbet, Neds and Ladbrokes. Only twice in that 33-race winning streak was she priced above even money, and she was always priced up as favourite for that run. Winx earned over $26 million in career prize money, but the money she generated in winning bets must have been many times that amount.
As mentioned, Winx won 25 Group 1 races, and that included four consecutive Cox Plates, arguably second only to the Melbourne Cup in prestige. She gained international acclaim, too, earning awards for being the best mare or filly in the world, then moving up to being named world racehorse of the year by 2018. In 2018, she also won the Secretariat Vox Populi Award, with fans in 60 countries voting her in as the most popular horse on the planet.
Hard to say who is the greatest
If we can offer the viewpoint of those who claim that Winx shouldn’t be considered among the greatest horses in history, most of the argument lies in two areas: The fact Winx never raced outside of Australia, and the quality of her opposition. The latter can be challenged, as some of the horses Winx beat also went on to win over 20 Group 1 races collectively. As for staying at home, that’s been the case for many of the best horses in history, including most of the American greats, so it seems an unfair stick to beat Winx with.
Nonetheless, Winx will still be considered one of the best in the eyes of modern Australian racing fans. Today, years after her retirement, she still makes the headlines as fans wonder how she will fare as a mother. As with the best horses in history, Winx means more to the public than just winning races. She is a cultural icon.
