Winx to be inducted into Australian Racing Hall of Fame
WINX has joined an elite group of thoroughbreds to be inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame while still active.
The Chris Waller-trained champion will join Black Caviar and Sunline as the only horses to be given the honour at the induction ceremony on Friday night.
The multiple Cox Plate-winning mare has won its last 17 starts and was a certainty to be inducted into the Hall of Fame at some stage, but many have been taken by surprise at the suddenness to the decision, including part-owner Peter Tighe.
“The three people involved in the ownership are truly honoured to have this worthy accolade laid upon the horse,” Tighe said.
“She’s certainly done us all proud.
“From day one she made us happy horse owners, then she went to the next level, the next level and then the next level.
“She continues to raise the bar and now that she’s 17 wins in a row, we want to keep the sequence going and hopefully she stays in good health.
“It’s been an honour to be involved with such a prestigious animal.”
Tighe said he couldn’t believe what the last 24 months has been like since it suffered defeat.
“No one can dream that big. That’s a dream you just don’t have. We all dream, but you never dream as big as that,” Tighe said.
“This is something that is just beyond belief.”
Winx will also win Horse of the Year for the second year running and Waller said being inducted into the Hall of Fame shows where Winx sits among the champions of the turf.
“It is an accolade for a body of work and just shows where she sits next to those other champions in the hall of fame,” Waller said. “Her career has been a bit of a blur and something like this makes you sit back and realise what she has done and go wow.
“To be put in while she is still racing, and a great recognition of where she sits in racing, and we are very proud.”
Currently on spell, Winx will return in June and have three or four runs to prepare for another tilt at the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley.
“It will be much the same preparation as last year,” Waller said. “We will start in Sydney and have to decide if she will have her last lead-up in the Caulfield Stakes or at Randwick.
“We will just see what race fits best, but the Cox Plate is the ultimate for the spring.”