Sectionals expert rates Winx's Warwick Stakes finale

Tom Baddock - Monday August 21

Winx's Warwick Stakes win at Randwick on Saturday was simply mind-blowing but how does it compare to past champions of the turf?

Advertisement
Hugh Bowman salutes to the crowd aboard champion mare Winx. Photo: Darryl Sherer

The champion mare produced an outstanding performance to run down her Group I stablemate Foxplay in the shadows of the post after hopelessly missing the start by four lengths.

The stunning display even had some claiming her performance put her on par with that of the great Black Caviar.

Sectional analyst Vince Accardi has declared that Winx ran one of the fastest, if not the fastest, last 600m sectionals on record at Randwick for the 1400m, stopping the clock in a sizzling 31.98.

However, he also noted that the wind played a significant factor in the times being run on the day, which is clear considering three track records were broken.

"The visualisation of Winx's win in the Warwick Stakes was just phenomenal," Accardi said.

"But I did a bit of research this morning and utilised all my wind tools and basically the wind assistance in the home straight was about three to four lengths.

"They have gone three to four lengths faster than what they normally would.

"She's run a fast time off a slow speed. The bottom line is they were going about three lengths quicker than a standard barrier trial early and then you had the wind assistance in the home straight.

"Of course, you still have to be unbelievable to do it, but the reality is if it was athletics it would probably be a time that would be downgraded.

"In athletics they downgrade the time based on a tail wind.

"Visually the performance is amazing but when we break it all down and take the wind factors into consideration, if we directly compare it to last year it was a half-a-length performance below."

So how does Winx's best performance compare to the likes of undefeated champion Black Caviar?

"It is difficult to compare the pair because they never really raced at the same distances but if I took a holistic approach, because I use what's called an IVR benchmark, Black Caviar's best ever performance was the 2011 Newmarket Handicap and Winx's best ever run was the 2015 Cox Plate," Accardi said.

"Off their best performances, I've got Black Caviar 1.2 lengths ahead of Winx."

"At this stage Winx appears more versatile than Black Caviar but if we are just looking purely at what their best performances were, then Black Caviar still holds a length overall superior performance."

"Makybe Diva, oddly seems to be a bit of a forgotten horse and shouldn't be, I have Makybe Diva's best ever performance being just behind Black Caviar based on her 2005 Australian Cup win.

"Winx against Makybe Diva can be lined up at 2000m and there's not much between them.

"A length separates three great horses."

Regardless of facts, figures and hypotheticals Winx is no doubt in elite company and nothing can detract from what this great mare has already achieved as she goes forward in an attempt to cement her immortality by winning a third consecutive Cox Plate.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Randwick around the track with Clinton Payne on Saturday
Saturday saw the return of Australian racing’s pin-up girl Winx and after giving racegoers a genuine heart flutter, she duly delivered with one of her best ever wins at Randwick.
G1 Winner La Crique Retired to Stud
La Crique, arguably the most consistent horse in Australasian racing, has been retired.
Cambridge Stud Bred Mare Wins G3 Belle of the Turf – Half-Sister K1 2026
The Kris Lees stable has been in hot form over the summer and claimed another feature race win at Gosford on Sunday when progressive mare Kind Words downed the race favoruite Hyperbolic to win the $300,000 Group III Belle of the Turf Stakes (1600m).
Full Brothers Deliver Star Stakes Double in Tasmania
Five year-old Needs Further gelding Durazzo continued his domination of the summer racing in Tasmania at Hobart on Sunday racking up his third successive stakes win when taking out the $125,000 Listed Kevin Sharkie The Inevitable Stakes (1600m), putting the spotlight on his yearling half-sister heading to 2026 MM Tasmania.
Sires With Winners - Monday December 29
Here is the full list of 21 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
The $6,000 Stallion Casting a Long Shadow
While looking for an image of Snippets to go with our celebration of Snippets long form story before Christmas I was drawn to the back of my storage cupboard and there in a remote and dusty corner was a pile of Stallions books and 2001 gave me what I needed and also some serious food for thought.
Christmas Stakes Catalogue Updates Aplenty
The last week of Christmas racing has been as busy as usual and thrown up plenty of black type updates, including five new stakes winners, for upcoming yearling sale.
Caffe Florian Wins Listed Gosford Guineas – Full Sister MM 2026
The baldy face of Caffe Florian was the widest of all runners turning for home in the $200,000 Listed Gosford Guineas (1200m) on Sunday as the Richard Litt trained filly attempted to loop the field, a risky move on a lesser horse, but a winning one for this rising star.
Caulfield Cup Winner Making International News – Sales Relations?
Winner of the 2011 Group I MRC Caulfield Cup, South Australian bred star staying mare Southern Speed was retired to stud in Japan at the end of her career and was in the news this week when her four year-old son Cosmo Kuranda went within a whisker of winning the Group I Arima Kinen (2500m).
Rich Hill Bred Ace High Mare Chasing G2 Rich Hill Mile
Gifted four-year-old She’s A Dealer is in the right order to make a successful challenge for higher honours on New Year’s Day.