Not for the first
It's hard to remember a time when the daughter of Street Cry (IRE) looked to be struggling in the run.
Hugh Bowman was chasing her along for most of the way to stay in touch and even gave her a touch with the whip on straitening.
But everyone started breathing much easier at the 300 metres as the champion quickly chased down the pack with only Happy Clapper offering any resistance. (photos Steve Hart).
"She's done it again, she's just such a delight to be a part of," Bowman said.
"I've really run out of things to say. She's just a magical horse and she never fails to get the job done.
"Today I expected to be closer, the pace was strong and at the top of the straight I had a lot of ground to make up, but on her two last performances, I knew that she could do it today and I'm just so proud of her.
She's just tense (at the starts), she's so competitive she just wants to get on with it, it's the only chink in her armour.
In defending her George Main title, Winx took her number of Group I wins to 13 with 22 stakes wins advancing her record to 24 wins and three seconds from 29 starts with earnings of $13,475,425.
"I think we should respect Happy Clapper, he's a Doncaster placegetter and a very good horse in his own right and we had to fight to get past him, winning trainer Chris Waller said.
"It was good to see her top that rise and get a bit closer because that was the only stage that she looked like winning it.
"I'm not too worried about how she was travelling mid-race. Don't over-analyse things, enjoy Winx for who she is. True champions normally come out and win, but they get beaten too.
"She's on track for some big races this preparation. It's great for Sydney because they have embraced her. I'd say she'll have one more run up here if we can and at some stage then she'll head to Melbourne.
"We'll lock it in next week and let everyone know what we are doing. It's not a guessing game, it'd not rocket science but the horse comes first.
"She'll tell me if she has one or two more runs, I'd say one more but over what distance I don't know.
"She's spot on and she's ready (for the Cox Plate)."
Bred by John Camilleri's Fairway Thoroughbreds, Winx was a $230,000 Magic Millions purchase from the Coolmore draft for Peter Tighe's Magic Bloodstock.
A half-sister to Group III Kindergarten Stakes winner El Divino, Winx is out of the Al Akbar mare Vegas Showgirl who has an unnamed 3yo colt by Snitzel that was purchased for $2,300,000 out of the Segenhoe Stud draft by Gai Waterhouse Racing / J Blaxland at the 2016 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling sale.
Vegas Showgirl a yearling Snitzel filly and was covered by Exceed And Excel last spring.
