Winx’s international reputation on the line in the Plate
Not so much that Winx might lose. That she might be beaten for the first time since April 2015 when the great Joao Moreira became the last jockey to lose on her.
But that she might be beaten by Benbatl or, worse still, Rostropovich.
That would not serve her reputation well. Fine horse he is Benbatl, but he’s not a Group 1 winner in England, Ireland or France. Wouldn’t be mentioned in the same breath, in that part of the world, as Enable, Roaring Lion or Cracksman.
Defeat, of course, would not have her suddenly erased from the annals of Australian racing greats but it would ever so slightly tarnish her amazing story and certainly have her undersold in the rest of the world.
Perhaps that matters not but I was curious as to the view from the other side of the world. I sought the opinion of Racing Post correspondent Stuart Riley, who’s in Melbourne for the spring carnival; and James Stafford, a former journalist who’s worked in Australia and who now heads Thurloe Thoroughbreds.
“There’s definitely a small contingent back home that’d slam her if she lost to him (Benbatl), but that’s probably being disrespectful to both horses,” Riley said.
Perhaps he’s right and I’m being disrespectful to Benbatl. The official IFHA (International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities) rankings had him at 123 before his Caulfield Stakes win with Winx at 130. Only five northern hemisphere middle distance turf performers were ranked above him – Enable, Poet’s Word, Roaring Lion, Cracksman and Crystal Ocean).
He is the highest rated international runner to contest the Cox Plate since Grandera, also trained by Saeed bin Suroor, and Grandera did run the then all-conquering Northerly to a length and a long neck.
That said he’s still not coming here as an Arc or Derby or King George winner – or even with a Juddmonte or Champion Stakes on his CV – and perception is everything.
Riley says the perception of Winx in the UK is that she is very good: “English fans would acknowledge, I think, that she simply must be very good to have won as many times in a row as she has and rack up as many Group 1’s. She’d have been a heavy favourite had she come to Royal Ascot but the excitement around her ebbed slightly when that plan was shelved,” he said.
Stafford says that Winx is in for a contest with Benbatl. “I think most pundits here think Benbatl will give the seven-year-old mare a good run for her money. All eyes will be on her to see how she handles the foreigner. If she sees him off in the same fashion as she has been doing she will certainly be front page news here, or back page at least.
“Winx’s brilliance in her own back yard has not gone unrecognised in Europe but she has yet to put top class horses from overseas to the sword. Benbatl boasts some very good form in lesser Group 1’s in his native UAE and Germany and more recently when defeating his stablemate in the Group 1 at Caulfield but he has fallen short when competing at the very highest level in Europe so you’d want to see the mare see him off.”
Benbatl, in fairness, has raced just twice in England since his three-year-old season. Riley points out he wasn’t well suited when he failed in the Queen Anne and he certainly wasn’t disgraced behind champion three-year-old Roaring Lion in the Juddmonte International.
“He’s a very good horse, he’s won three Group 1’s now and was an 11-4 favourite for the Queen Anne over a trip shorter than ideal. If he’d won his Group 1’s in England people may not think less of her if he happened to beat her….but he’s won them in Dubai, Germany and Australia and so he just isn’t regarded that highly back home because his biggest successes have been out of sight and out of mind,” Riley said.
There is a sense, from the other side of the world, that she has to put him to the sword!
“You will find a small community here (UK) that love to knock her,” Riley said, “she hasn’t beaten anything, Hartnell’s hardly a superstar, that sort of thing. But she can only beat what’s put in front of her and as our own superstars like Enable and Cracksman have proved this year doing what she’s done is incredibly hard, whatever the opposition. But, if she lost to Benbatl those voices would get louder and she would certainly go down in people’s estimations.”
The portents are a little foreboding and it’s certainly folly to be dismissing the German form as Best Solution came via Group 1 success there to win the Caulfield Cup and Saeed bin Suroor looks to be a man on a mission.
Throw in the simply stunning performance of Aidan O’Brien’s Yucatan in the Herbert Power Stakes and the visitors look to well and truly have the spring upper hand.
Furthermore, as Riley wrote in the Racing Post last weekend, there’s more to come. “And what is all the more worrying (for the locals) is several of the biggest guns are yet to be unleashed. Withhold will run in the Geelong Cup on Wednesday (today), while the likes of Irish Derby one-two Latrobe and Rostropovich, Ebor hero Muntahaa and Chester Cup and Henry II Stakes winner Magic Circle wait in the wings at Werribee.”
And if an Englishman wins the Cup then look out!
“The Melbourne Cup remains a fascination to us English,” Stafford said. “Mainly because no horse from these shores has captured the enormous prize. Because of the long travel the race always seemed inaccessible up until recently but now I’d say English trainers and owners are more determined than ever to win it. If and when the Cup is brought back to the UK I imagine the trainer will be able travel around the country on a pedestal.”
In the interim I’ll be praying for Winx. Seriously. And checking the Racing Post just to see which horse Mr Riley tips.