Winx Picture Perfect Ahead of 2017 Chipping Norton Stakes

Master Sydney trainer Chris Waller has described the condition of his stable ace Winx as “picture perfect” as she attempts a fifteenth consecutive victory in the Chipping Norton Stakes 2017 on Saturday.

Chris Waller is all smiles ahead of the 2017 Chipping Norton Stakes run of Winx this Saturday in Sydney. Photo: Daniel Costello.

The daughter of Street Cry dominates the markets at Ladbrokes.com.au on the $600,000 Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) paying $1.12 to enjoy her second straight win in the weight-for-age feature.

Winx comes off a perfect 14-from-14 straight winning streak that looks to continue as she gets out over her pet distance of a mile in the Chipping Norton Stakes.

Her first-up run was an effortless three length victory over the John O’Shea-trained Hartnell in the Group 2 Apollo Stakes (1400m), the same race she won on way to her Chipping Norton success in 2016.

The five-year-old faces a similar field of “rivals” on the weekend and Hugh Bowman has narrowly avoided missing the mount after a Hong Kong riding suspension.

The racing gods seem to be smiling down on the nine-time Group 1 winning mare after Winx also came up trumps with gate four in the Chipping Norton Stakes barrier draw.

She will get things her way from the alley and has an imposing record over the track and distance of four wins and a second from five starts, including her career best success in last year’s Doncaster Mile giving the weight away under the handicap conditions.

Nothing has gone amiss with the glamour mare this time in as she heads towards the Queen Elizabeth Stakes 2017 during The Championships in April for her season finale.

Waller couldn’t be happier with the dual Cox Plate champion, describing her condition as “picture perfect”.

“She had a quiet gallop Saturday and she had a stronger gallop Tuesday and pleased myself and Hugh,” he told The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday.

“She pulled up well and she will have a very quiet gallop [on Thursday] and it will be more pacework than a gallop.

“Condition-wise she looks picture perfect and you won’t see any difference from her first-up run.

“We weigh them every Monday and she has actually put on 1kg since she last raced.

“Second-up over a mile should be spot on.”

The only other runner under $10 in the latest Chipping Norton Stakes betting markets is Hartnell, a perennial placegetter behind Winx, who ran second in the race in 2015 behind Contributer and fifth first-up last season to his regular foe.

Hartnell pays $8 as he faces Winx for a sixth time after suffering a blow drawing the far outside barrier (10 of 10).

Despite the barrier, O’Shea said instructions to jockey Brenton Avdulla would not be to put the speed on and cross to lead.

“The outside barrier is not ideal because we’ll have to drag back and there’ll be a lot of slow ones in front of us,” he said.

“We just want him to have a good, positive day and hit the line hard.”

To check out the latest odds on Winx horse racing markets are now open at Ladbrokes.com.au on the Chipping Norton Stakes and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.