“There aren’t many better days out than the races in the sunshine,” Sir Keir Starmer, the British Prime Minister, declared last year.
Mind you Sir Keir’s enthusiasm for a taste of the turf didn’t influence him against applying the sword to British racing with the possible introduction of an unfair betting tax, prompting a one-day strike at four fixtures on September 10: Carlisle, Lingfield, Uttoxeter and Kempton.
However Royal Randwick lives up to the title on Saturday if Via Sistina, the Horse Of The Year, takes her place on drenched conditions in the $1 million Group one Winx Stakes, a sprint superior to The Everest, upon which the strength and advertising budget of the Australian Turf Club is based. To what degree has the ATC advertised The Winx, currently and traditionally?
Yes, the weather, the wettest Sydney August for 126 years, does not lead to major attendance but Via Sistina, boosted by the champions Chris Waller and James McDonald should be a prime drawcard. Even without Via Sistina, The Winx is a strong, maintaining a standard that goes back to 1923.
Winx was a champion prepared by Waller and the race named in her honour is a worthy hunting ground for other greats, confirming the trainer’s skill with fillies and mares. Even considering how different racing is now from the “good old days” surely Waller is the greatest with fillies and mares, the weaker equine gender, emphasised by The Winx this year.
Earlier on the Randwick program Waller has unbeaten Autumn Glow engaged in the Toy Show Quality. Unbeaten in four starts Autumn Glow could be anything.
With the assistance of J-Mac, the excellence of Waller mares is easily distinguishable but how to get a buck (the currency, not kick) out of them is more difficult. The stablemate menace looms large. Getting beaten is hard, downed by lesser-fancied team members takes punting pain to extreme.
But Via Sistina is special. Big and strong she rings bells. Still the mare was beaten resuming last preparation in the Apollo over Saturday’s Randwick 1400 metres by stablemate Fangirl. Usually there is only been a good ride between them.
In the corresponding Winx last year Via Sistina, given a pearl by J-Mac, accounted for Zougothca and Fangirl, both prepared by Waller, in a hair-raising finish.
Neither Via Sistina or Fangirl on Saturday can afford to make mistakes against rivals Ceolwulf, a good ‘un with a top campaign upcoming, and Gringotts who should get the run of the race. Aeliana lacks their figures but is still on the rise and the heavy track brings Robusto, super-fit under the Bjorn Baker regime, into calculations. It’s a match of jockeys. J-Mac may be the world’s best but Chad Schofield (Ceolwulf), Josh Parr (Robusto), Kerrin McEvoy (Fangirl) and Jason Collett (Aeliana) don’t bow to reputations. Lindermann is not flash in the heavy otherwise Nash Rawiller would show them what weight-for-age navigation is about.
Irish bred Via Sistina is actually seven and 149 days. The mighty Winx was six and 338 days taking her third Warwick Stakes, the previous title. Winx, though, was having her 36th start, 11 more than Via Sistina on Saturday. Via Sistina was cuddled early. Europeans race better for longer. That’s why I’ll take around the $2.50 for her and I am allergic to short prices.
Water-logged Sydney turf still has much to offer, and hopefully the new ATC administration under Tim Hale and Caroline Searcy, after an appalling start taking the Golden Eagle away from Rosehill, can get the message across that any Randwick Saturday is worthy of attendance while Britain languishes in an attempt to stop Treasury plans to replace the existing three-state structure of online gambling with a single remote betting and gaming duty.
Should it be implemented get ready for another influx here along the lines of 10-pound Poms: equine as well as human.
