Saturday marks the first Group 1 feature race of the season, and we’re off to Royal Randwick for another stunning edition of the Winx Stakes.
Won by plenty of superstars of the turf throughout its existence, including its namesake for three-consecutive years, the Winx Stakes is often used as a launchpad for the country’s biggest stables into the biggest races of the season.
I’ve run the rule over the entire field, and you can find my complete 2023 Winx Stakes Tips below.
Suggested Bets
- 3 Units straight out #13 Fangirl
- Boxed Trifecta of the selections below
Winx Stakes – Winner
She ran second behind Anamoe in the race last year, and I think that Fangirl will go one better in the Winx Stakes 2023.
Fangirl has been an outstanding performer for the Waller yard since making her debut, and she recorded her first and only Group 1 win during the 2022 autumn (Vinery Stud Stakes).
It has been a while since she has won a race, but she was a typically consistent performer in some of the best Group 1 feature of the autumn earlier this year, and she boasts an excellent fresh record.
With the benefit of a couple of trial leading up to her return, this really is the perfect starting point.
Suggested Bet: No. 13 Fangirl
Winx Stakes – 2nd
Zaaki makes his eagerly awaited return to the races in the Winx Stakes, as does Jamie Kah!
The talented nine-year-old ended another glittering spring campaign with a win in the Mackinnon Stakes last November, and returned in the late autumn to finish second in the All Aged Stakes over this route.
Having subsequently won the Hollindale yet again before a flat run in the Doomben Cup, Zaaki is known for a sharp fresh effort, and he’s had the benefit of a trial leading up to his return.
Suggested Bet: No. 2 Zaaki
Winx Stakes – 3rd
A horse that is almost always undervalued in feature race betting in my opinion is Hinged, and she’s another that boasts an outstanding fresh record ahead of her first-up assignment in the Winx Stakes.
The Worthy Cause mare is a Group 1 winner, having saluted in the Surround Stakes last year, and while is has also been a while since she last won a race, she too has been a model of consistency in Group 1 company.
She’s drawn a peach, takes a couple of kilos from the topweights and with luck, she certainly has the ability to be in the finish.
Suggested Bet: No. 16 Hinged
Winx Stakes – 4th
This absolute champion makes his return after more than a year away from the races, and while he boasts an excellent fresh record and is clearly one of the best horses in Australasia at his best, I just wonder if he’ll need the run to dust off the cobwebs.
He famously won the George Ryder back in 2021, his first at the highest level, and after continuing to pick off nice races throughout his subsequent preparations, Think It Over was last seen recording the biggest win of his career in the 2022 Queen Elizabeth.
That tipped him over $7 million in prize money and boy, I just cannot wait to see what he can do during the forthcoming Spring Carnival.
Suggested Bet: No. 1 Think It Over
