FAREWELL TO WINX AT ROYAL RANDWICK SATURDAY APRIL 13, 2019

Lillian and I, had the opportunity to witness Australian racing history today along with  43, 831 other people in attendance at Randwick Racecourse. 

Many in the crowd wore hues of blue – some of the ladies were in blue dresses   or blue hats , and some of  the men wore  blue ties or  blue shirts to capture the mood of the day.  Lillian and I decided to wear blue in our outfits. Many in the crowd waved Winx flags, and some men wore Winx hats.  

The mighty mare, Winx rose to the occasion and won race no 33 , Queen Elizabeth Stakes  (2000 metres)  much to the delight of the crowd present. Her Australia -wide and overseas fans, who would have watched on TV , would have  no doubt  cheered her on.  Winx gained the attention of the nation and in recent years, international  recognition.   

Some jockeys came out of the jockeys room to watch the race.  Ken Callender, retired racing journalist, when interviewed for Chanel 9 News on Saturday night, said that “people were watching  from the racecourse fence-the last time this happened was when Tulloch raced.”

My late father followed Phar Lap during the Depression, and he would talk about  Phar Lap  with great  respect for the horse .  Australians will long remember Winx  for so many reasons.

Winxs’ achievements  have come from her natural ability, along with the combined efforts  of  her jockey, Hugh  Bowman , her  trainer Chris Waller, and his staff .

Statistics:    (Courtesy of  Sunday Telegraph April 14,2019) 

43 starts   37 wins     33 consecutive wins    25 group 1 wins   $26,336,675  in prize money     

No 1 world ranking 

Happy retirement Winx!

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