Winning the Cox Plate has added another dimension to Winx’s position in the Chris Waller stable.
The trainer admits he is paying added attention to the mare as she prepares for her race return in Saturday’s Apollo Stakes at Randwick.
Waller took her to Randwick for a race day gallop on Saturday with Hugh Bowman making sure she worked strongly to the line.
“With a horse like Winx you are always trying just that extra bit harder,” Waller said.
“She will be an important part of the carnival.
“People want to see her and want to see her win.
“It’s a different situation but I’m getting an idea of what Peter Moody went through with Black Caviar.
“We don’t want to leave any stone unturned.”
Waller said Winx had come back 10 to 15kg heavier than she was in the spring and he was pleased with her two recent barrier trials.
“She is not a sensational trialler and she has been having a blow after her gallops which is why I wanted her to have a good hit-out at Randwick,” he said.
“Maybe I’m over analysing things.
“She is an extreme athlete and unlike some other horses she can race 95 per cent fit and still win.
“Racing her in the Apollo opens up the option of getting her to the Group One Chipping Norton Stakes two weeks later.
“I want to get the first race right.
“It’s a long carnival and she is a valuable horse.”
Winx has not been beaten since she ran second to Gust Of Wind in the ATC Australian Oaks in April on a soft Randwick track.
Her five starts since the Oaks include three at Group One level – the Queensland Oaks, the Epsom Handicap and the Cox Plate.
