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Image: Bruno Cannatelli

Well that’s now 36 wins, 32 of them in a row and 24 at Gr 1 level for a grand total of $24,016, 675 in prize money.

Trainers from here and abroad for the past four years have been pulling their best Houdini impression when it comes to Winx (Street Cry-Vegas Showgirl), attempting to prove that she’s a mere mortal and not the superhero that she obviously is.

And once they’ve tried to bring her back to earth, they have had to find a way to keep running over the last 200m.

Because she always does. And….like on Saturday, none can.

God gave her extraordinary ability but also extraordinary intelligence on how to use the ability, plus a physique and a work ethic to blend it all. Her acceleration and ability to move with speed and change directions is phenomenal.

You can’t hold her in a pocket. You can’t run away from her, you can’t do anything to beat her. I’m certain if out of frustration, some rival leaned forward and tried to savage her, that wouldn’t work either. It’d just make her skip a further two lengths clear.

As Sydney race caller Darren Flindell said toward the end of his call on Saturday, “she’s simply invincible.”

So why is she retiring? “It’s time,” shrugged her part-owner Debbie Kepitis. “We don’t want her going out on an embarrassing note.”

So her next start, in the Gr 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick, in three weeks WILL be her last.

“And we’ll all be as nervous as at any time in her career,” she said. “Probably more so.

“Because it’s a great race but a funny race too. Lots of great champions have used it to retire from racing and have been beaten. We don’t want that to happen because I understand the place will be packed.”

Too true.

Already ticket sales have exceeded that of the most recent The Everest day and we still have 3 weeks of getting the population all worked up to go.

There will be front page newspaper stories. There will be TV shows and radio interviews. It will be the biggest farewell build up and party of pretty much any sports person in Australian sports history.

And it will also be a national day of mourning.

But many people, people like me who love the breeding game, are looking a little further a field. Like, for instance, who does Winx go to when she retires?

“I have seen so a lot of people’s thoughts on twitter and everybody has an opinion, but we don’t as yet,” claimed Kepitis.

“We’re seriously just concentrating on her last race and we’ll make the decision on which stallion she visits, like we have always done, between us in a discussion when the time is right.”

The obvious favourites are I Am Invincible, Snitzel and Redoute’s Choice. Fastnet Rock, an Australian cover with Frankel and Zoustar are chances too.

But here’s an exercise worth looking at – and remember as you read this, breeding is NOT an exact science. More a tool to ponder, and evaluate things over.

Snitzel, the Arrowfield wonder sire, has already covered Winx’s mum and given us the stakes winner El Divino.

He was a useful horse who won the Gr 3 Kindergarten Stakes, but handy is about as good as you could call him.

I Am Invincible, who is terrific in the sales ring and prolific at getting winners, must be a consideration. His blood doesn’t give any double crosses in the first four removes and a lot of breeders like that.

Old Redoute’s Choice has been a champ for a long time and is still producing superstars. He has to be a consideration. His son Snitzel did only an average job with Vegas Showgirl, but Redoute’s could improve the line too. You’d suspect the baby would be strong-boned and quite a large animal.

Fastnet Rock is, like Redoute’s Choice, by Danehill and like him can produce a Champion. But, his female line doesn’t stack up to scrutiny like Redoute’s Choice’s does, however he’s in the mix.

But I just wonder if the owners of Winx will play a different card, a hand no-one has seen coming.

They could, and if they are looking at keeping the foal themselves which I think they will do, they could bypass all of the established stars and send her to a stallion Winx herself knows very well. She sees him every day and I’m sure there has been eye-contact!

The Autumn Sun brings a lot of interest to the table as a prospective mate. He’s by Redoute’s Choice. He’s about the best 3YO we’ve seen in Australia for 50 years and his damline is quite stunning. His mother, Azmiyna, is by the great Galileo and his grandmother, Asmara, produced 9 foals that raced, 8 of them won…the best of them multiple Gr 1 winner Azamour.

He too provides no double ups in the first 4 removes.

He also brings not only the powerhouse female line of Redoute’s Choice, but his own mother’s is quite exceptional too.

If he retires to Arrowfield this year, I’m tipping The Autumn Sun might be a dark horse in the stallion market for Winx.

This wont happen, but the Gr 1 Golden Slipper winner Kiamichi is by First Season Sire star, Sidestep so who knows – maybe he gets a call up. I doubt it, however.

Soooo, who do you think she should go too?

 
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