Chris Waller insists the result of Winx's tilt at a fourth Cox Plate will shape his and the owners' thinking about when to retire the world's best horse.
Australia's premier group 1 trainer dropped the strongest hint yet that retirement is still an option after Winx tries to etch her name into racing folklore as the only horse to win the Cox Plate four times.
"In the twilight": Winx ridden by Hugh Bowman.Credit:AAP
While connections have been at pains to point out no decision has been made about Winx's future – or even barely been discussed, a Makybe Diva-like exit at the top of the mountain is not out of the picture after the $5 million race.
Trainer Lee Freedman and owner Tony Santic retired the three-time Melbourne Cup winner on the spot at Flemington after the last of her two-mile triumphs, a path Winx's owners are not expected to pursue at Moonee Valley.
But speaking to Channel Nine's Today show on Thursday, Waller said there will be very careful consideration given to both forging on beyond the Cox Plate and pulling the pin after Winx chases a 29th straight success.
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"Where does she head after Saturday? Saturday is a very important test and shes obviously in the twilight of her career," Waller said. "We dont just want to see her going around forever.
"Saturday will tell us a lot and then well go home on Saturday night and have a good think about it the next few days. [But] the ride has been unbelievable and lets hope it can continue for a bit longer yet."
The general consensus has been Waller and Winx's owners Peter Tighe, Debbie Kepitis and Richard Treweeke would be happy to start a Sydney autumn carnival campaign next year, having insisted the horse will let them know when she's had enough.
Winx has run blinding closing splits in each of her three wins this campaign as the seven-year-old – co-incidentally the same age as when Makybe Diva wound up her career – and appears to be going as well as ever.
A win in the Cox Plate would make her the first to crack through the $20 million prize money barrier in Australian racing and equal jumper Hurricane Fly's world record of 22 group 1 wins. It would perhaps be considered an ideal moment to launch off the carousel.
But the manner in which she achieves that win – if successful as a long odds-on favourite – might also dictate the decision.
"We'll leave that to Chris and Hughie [jockey Hugh Bowman] as they know what they're doing," Treweeke said on Thursday.
There was little change to most bookmakers' markets on Thursday as Winx remained a $1.22 favourite with BetEasy ahead of European raider Benbatl ($8.50) and last year's runner-up Humidor ($16).
"Obviously we are getting towards the eve of this big race and in comparison to last year she is basically in the same condition," Waller said.
"She broke the track record on that occasion, but full credit to Humidor as he made a race of it. But I expect her to run very well and it will take a very good horse to beat her. Obviously you always need to respect luck in running, you need to respect your competitors but overall there are so many positives in her favour."
Bowman is on the cusp of joining Brent Thomson and Jack Purtell as jockeys to have claimed the Cox Plate on four occasions, just one shy of Darby Munro.
I'd be absolutely delighted to do that and I guess when you're riding these things you never expect to keep records anyway
Brent Thomson
A 17-year-old Thomson won the weight-for-age championship for the first time in 1975 on Fury's Order before later success on Family Of Man (1977), So Called (1978) and Dulcify (1979).
"It would be great to share [four Cox Plate wins] with Hughie," Thomson said. "I'd be absolutely delighted to do that and I guess when you're riding these things you never expect to keep records anyway.
"Even from a jockey's point of view you've got Ryan Moore in town to ride [Rostropovich] and all of a sudden they're on a plane and he will be flying directly back to the Breeders Cup. They're really on the world stage now."
Adam Pengilly is a Sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.
