Wondermare Winx aims for terrific 20 at Randwick on Saturday
BY JACK HAYNES 5:43PM 15 SEP 2017
Preview: Australia, Saturday 6.15am BST (live on ATR)
Randwick: Colgate Optic White Stakes (George Main Stakes) (Group 1) 1m | turf | 3yo+
Set an early alarm for Saturday morning. Brush your teeth in a nod to the race sponsor, make a warm drink and sit down and enjoy. Winx will make it worth your while.
Chris Waller's wondermare bids for a 20th consecutive triumph in the Group 1 Colgate Optic White Stakes at Randwick, better known as the George Main Stakes, in which success would leave her five victories behind Black Caviar's record 25-race winning streak in Australia.
It has been far from plain sailing for the six-year-old on her two starts since a four-month break. She denied stablemate Foxplay by a head in nail-biting fashion in the Warwick Stakes before quickening up well to defeat pacesetter Red Excitement in the Chelmsford Stakes.
The impression is, however, there is much more to come from the 12-time Group 1 winner ahead of her hat-trick bid in the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley on October 28.
"She's in great order and seems to be more relaxed now as we get into the middle of her preparation," said regular rider Hugh Bowman to racing.com.
"She's very strong, very healthy and very well and if she feels like that on Saturday, we're in for a treat."
A comfortable winner of this race last year, Winx faces seven rivals including three stablemates, most notably Foxplay, while Red Excitement also reappears.
Adaptable Hartnell bids for Diva triumph
Flemington: Makybe Diva Stakes (Group 1) 1m | turf | 3yo+ (7.15am BST, live on ATR)
He has won over a range of trips from seven furlongs to two miles on ground varying in the extreme from good to firm to soft. Is Hartnell the most versatile horse in the world?
Godolphin's son of Authorized, who finished seventh in the St Leger in 2014 when trained by Mark Johnston, bids for a third Group 1 success in the Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington on Saturday morning.
Runner-up to Winx in last year's Cox Plate, Hartnell, a winner on his first start for new trainer James Cummings at Caulfield last month, has also proved adaptable in regards to his rider, with Kerrin McEvoy partnering the six-year-old for the first time and becoming the fifth consecutive different jockey to take the reins.
McEvoy said: "It's pretty exciting to get the call up for such a high-quality horse. I rode him for the first time in a jump out at Flemington last month and even though we weren't out to do anything spectacular, he gave me a really good feel, the feel of a top horse.
"He certainly showed at Caulfield that he'd come back in the same sparkling form that he showed last spring - it was impossible to fault that win and he can only have been improved for it."
Successful in the near £440,000 contest with Palentino last year, trainer Darren Weir and rider Mark Zahra team up with recent Listed Penny Edition Stakes scorer Gailo Chop, with Weir also running Memsie Stakes second Black Heart Bart and Australian Cup victor Humidor.
Trip and ground not an issue
The majority of horses are labelled as ground dependent and restricted to a certain range of trip. Hartnell is a notable exception.
An 11-time winner across two continents, Hartnell has proved his versatility in abundance. His first three wins came on soft ground, then for good measure, he showed his strongest form in Britain on good to firm when landing the Listed 2m Queen's Vase at Royal Ascot and Group 3 1m5f Bahrain Trophy at Newmarket for Mark Johnston and Joe Fanning.
Moving across the globe had no effect on his adaptability, winning two Group 1 contests among others on ground ranging from good to soft and scoring over distances ranging from seven furlongs to a mile and a half.
Come rain or shine and over whatever trip, there is one thing almost for certain: Hartnell will run his race.
Also on Saturday
Randwick: The Shorts (Group 2) 1,100 metres (5½f) | turf | 3yo+ (6.55am BST, live on ATR)
A seasonal debut for Australia's top sprinter Chautauqua (Hawkes team/Brenton Avdulla), who completed a hat-trick in the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes on his last start in April. The seven-year-old gelding is favourite for the inaugural running of the A$10 million Everest, the 6f event destined to become the world's richest turf race with the first running at Randwick on October 14.
However, Redzel (Peter & Paul Snowden/Hugh Bowman) is favoured here.
Flemington: JRA Trophy (Listed) 2,500 metres (1m4½f) | turf | 3yo+ (7.55am BST, live on ATR)
Last year's Melbourne Cup winner Almandin continues on the road to his title defence in a race set to feature no fewer than five Robert Hickmott-trained stablemates. He was second on his seasonal debut over an inadequate trip at Moonee Valley last month. Damien Oliver rides.
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