THE SUNSHINE COAST NEWSPAPER COLUMN: WATCHING A TRUE CHAMPION IN ACTION IS A RARE PRIVILEGE

By Graham Potter | Saturday, September 2, 2017

Graham Potter writes a weekly column for the Sunshine Coast daily. Due to demand from those having trouble accessing the paper these columns are now also published on HRO courtesy of the Sunshine Coast daily.

Do you want to make an investment that returns six cents on the dollar?

Well ... that is likely to give you that sort of return, I should say, because I am actually talking about a gamble namely on a horse called Winx in the Chelmsford Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.

At the time of writing this superstar of the Australian turf and soon to be confirmed as the world’s highest rated horse has been marked up at odds of $1.06 ... the shortest price she has been in her illustrious career.

Winx, of course, is going out looking to extend her remarkable winning sequence to nineteen in an undefeated run that has now stretched over a period of two years and three months.

Bring that point up and any Sunshine Coast local will rub their hands with glee and tell you all about the day it started on the coast when Winx came from last, powered by a stunning display of acceleration and commitment, to down the opposition in the Sunshine Coast Guineas back in May 2015 in a most memorable performance.

The champion mare gave her followers a scare last time when she missed the start but when the numbers went up in the frame it was just business as usual with the reputation of Winx, Hugh Bowman (they are really a team out there on the track) and Chris Waller (who has handled the mare to perfection) going up another notch.

Just have a look at the honour roll on which Winx has firmly placed her name.

Horses with notable winning sequences that Winx has surpassed or equalled include Kingston Town (eleven wins), Phar Lap (fourteen wins), Bernborough and Carbine (fifteen wins) and Ajax (eighteen wins).

Still up ahead is Gloaming (nineteen wins), Picnic In The Park (twenty-one wins) and of course, the mighty Black Caviar who tops the list with twenty-five straight wins.

Whether you take the $1.06 on offer about Winx’s chances on Saturday or whether you join that small group of about five percent of punters chancing their arm by betting against her ... or whether you just sit back and watch ... enjoy the moment.

True champions of the turf are few and far between and therefore being able to watch one in action is a rare privilege.

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