The only benchmark Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) has had over the last year has been herself, having won all nine starts since last May, including six Group 1s, and raceday rider Hugh Bowman told Racing.com he thinks the 5-year-old could be even better this season.
“Just given she's a 5-year-old mare, this could well be her best season, all going well,” the jockey said. “As far as I'm concerned, it's just nice to have her back. It's early days yet, but all signs are very positive at this stage.”
Winx took her first step towards her spring campaign, which is set to include a G1 Cox Plate defense, when fourth under Bowman in a Randwick trial July 29.
While no plans have been indicated to race Winx outside Australia, Bowman said he was confident she could hold her own outside her native country.
“There's no doubt I'm confident she'd make her presence felt wherever she went,” Bowman told the site, pointing out that last year's Cox Plate third Highland Reel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) won the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. last month. “The world's becoming a smaller place for these horses. With Highland Reel running [third] in last year's Cox Plate, to see what he's been able to do in Europe since shows that she's world-class.”
“The thing is the Australian racing prize money is so healthy, it's a big mission to go overseas and you've got to sacrifice a lot here,” Bowman noted. “I won't get involved in her program, but I'm sure if she did go overseas, she'd make her presence felt.”
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