3 minute read
Unbeaten filly Winx stamped herself as a serious Spring prospect when going against the norm in the Group 2 Furious Stakes.
Thrown in the deep end, the daughter of Street Cry rose to the occasion, disposing of her rivals with relative ease.
Having displayed good ability in her first two career starts, Winx was marked by Timeform as a galloper bound for stakes company and rightfully took the next step.Winx improved her Timeform rating by 13 pounds to win the Furious Stakes on Saturday.
Significantly, she has improved her Timeform rating on average, by 11 pounds at each career start.The fact she was able to go to a new Master Rating first up, points to a prosperous Spring campaign.
Last season, Chris Waller had a strike rate of 10 per cent with horses racing first up, improving to 14 per cent second up and 18 per cent third up.Using Timeform ratings, his horses on average improved three pounds between their first and third up performances.
Again Timeform ratings showed that Waller's gallopers performed to their peak at their fourth run back from a spell, and generally held this form at their next start.Stable stars Boban and Sacred Falls are key examples of the "Waller ratings profile".
Both gallopers typically perform below their best at their first two runs back from a spell, before displaying sharp improvement for their third and fourth up performances.This progression in ratings profiles, goes against the average for all trainers in Metropolitan company.
Last season the general horse population did not improve after their third up runs.Given trainers are creatures of habit, we can only expect Winx to keep improving this campaign, as it is unlikely she was anywhere near her peak in the Furious Stakes.
The Group 1 Flight Stakes has been earmarked as her early Spring target and at this stage we see her as the most likely winner.Projections, using Racing and Sports' world class database, point towards Winx being ahead of the standard required to win an average Flight Stakes.
Multiple group one winning mare Streama, returned the same Timeform rating as Winx when taking out the 2011 Furious Stakes.The fact Winx achieved this feat at just her third start, further pushes the strength of her performance.
Is Winx the best filly in the country? Not yet but we're confident she might well be.
