There was a point on Saturday when it looked as if it was all about to come to an end, but by the time they hit the finishing line, Winx’s 28th consecutive victory was actually quite comfortable, and the figures that back that up are amazing.
Winx ran the fastest last 1000m, 800m, 600m, 400m and 200m for the day at Flemington in her second Turnbull Stakes win, closing with 200m splits of 10.64, 10.6 and 10.88, which amount to a 32.12s final 600m.
Full Flight: Hugh Bowman hits the front on Winx in the Turnbull Stakes at Flemington on Saturday.Credit:AAP
All this happened while Hugh Bowman was navigating a passage through the field from last on the fence. The genius of the ride was that he never lost momentum and that he was going faster than every other horse around him.
There is an argument that Bowman should never have have put himself in the position where he was last on the fence turning for home. It certainly wasn't the best place to be in a slowly run 2000m race.
However, that should not overshadow the fact that he was good enough – and he had a good-enough horse – to get out of it.
They don’t race in lanes, so the real view of Winx's acceleration only became apparent in the final 300m, when she was presented to the outside of Youngstar. For the 700m before that, her speed had been hidden from view but she had been building and she was ready to roar.
"Usually I ride her arrogantly and let her move into the race when it pleases me, but I didn't have that option [because they went so slowly]," Bowman said.
"Still, it was her champion quality that came out in the end. Youngstar is a quality filly. It was great to see her race so well.
"When I peeled off her back and went out after them, I thought, 'We are in for a fight' but the final 100, it was extraordinary.”
Bowman was on the other end of the equation earlier in the day when he got held up on Rainer, which charged late to be a narrow runner-up, and he spent most of the afternoon explaining to stewards what went wrong.
The critique would have been more severe if Winx had met the same fate.
Winx was measured by Daily sectionals as having run her final 400m at 13.7 lengths better than standard, which equates to more than two seconds.
We don't get to see her best all that often because she is so superior to her rivals but on Saturday she needed to be at her top and, subsequently, the full majesty of her greatness was on show.
Trainer Chris Waller reflected on the Turnbull win saying the lack of pressure allowed her to have show off her big engine.
“When the pressure is on in races, the other horses are dropping off quicker and she is still comfortable. In a slowly-run race like Saturday, they can all sprint quickly and go with her and they have more left in the tank,” Waller said.
“With her, it is like having a sports car and knowing when you touch the accelerator what is going to happen.”
Everest and Caulfield Guineas to break records again
The Caulfield Guineas meeting has always been one of the great days of the turf. Now that it shares the date with The Everest at Randwick, however inconvenient that may be, it the day has hit new heights and Saturday's meetings will showcase the very best of Australian racing.
Once again, there have been squabbles over race times between the states, but The Everest will be given a good lead-in and, hopefully, so will the Caulfield Guineas.
The barrier draw drama in the past couple of days may have taken the shine of the success of The Everest in just its second year. Like drinking a bottle of Grange that has been corked on Tuesday, it will look great but will there be a bitter aftertaste?
All measures of success for the day were up last year and the indications are that they will be exceeded this year. Hopefully, by the end of the week the positives will outweigh the negatives.
King makes Australia a group 1 home
Rachel King couldn’t have achieved what she has in Sydney back home in England.
King rode as an amateur in England and came to Australia on a working holiday, which has become never ending.
“To be honest if I was to go back home, I would have to stop riding," King told Fairfax Media last year.
"I wouldn't be able to have a career back in England, it is just a struggle. I don't see there is a place for female jockeys over there. It is nowhere near as good as here."
The story just gets better and better for King. She got her ticket to ride because of Mark Newnham, won a Sydney apprentices premiership with the backing of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott and a couple of months later won her first group 1 for Newnham.
“He took me to Racing NSW to do the paperwork and has always been there for me,” King said.
“My first stakes winner was on Lanciato for him and to get his first group 1 and my first group 1 on Maid Of Heaven was amazing."
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