Saturday’s outstanding field, and subsequent equally as impressive race, the Winx Stakes is here to stay.
The Gr 1 feature which was worth $500,000 over 1400m at Randwick, was won sensationally by VERRY ELLEEGANT (Zed-Opulence) narrowly from STAR OF THE SEAS (Ocean Park-Stella Livia) and FIERCE IMPACT (Deep Impact-Keiai Gerbera) with the luckless IMAGING a fast closing 4th just half a length from the winner.
And we know there will be a few future G1 winners coming from it.
Ok, that established and we know all that.
But let’s look at the Australian races named after our five biggest named racehorses: Phar Lap, Makybe Diva, Black Caviar, Kingston Town and Winx.
All of them have races named after them.
The Black Caviar Lightning over 1000m is a G1 race.
The Kingston Town Classic over 1800m is a G1 race.
The Makybe Diva Stakes over 1600m is a G1 race.
The Winx Stakes as we know over 1400m is a G1 race.
The Phar Lap Stakes over 1500m is a G2 race.
Wait…what? A G2 race only? The race is named after probably the most famous horse to race here and it’s generally considered a debate between him and Winx as our greatest ever, he was the symbol of Australian horse racing, and hope during his glittering career.
And remember, big red as Phar Lap was known, is the only horse in history to be the favourite in three successive Melbourne Cups, winning the 1930 version.
Yet he’s granted just a G2 race.
Recent winners of it have been Funstar this year, Verry Elleegant, Unforgotten, Foxplay, Thorn Park etc.
It is time Racing NSW upped the next Phar Lap Stakes next March into G1 status in line with the other greats of Aussie racing.
