On the same December day in 2021 that Winx was confirmed in foal, the AU$46 million Winx Stand was officially opened at Royal Randwick.
By Michael Wrona, International Racing Expert
Thursday, 11 April 2024
This Friday night, in the same week that Winx's first yearling sold for a record-shattering AU$10 million, fans will fill the Winx stand to watch the Queen Elizabeth Stakes – famous as both the richest race of "The Championships at Randwick" and as the great mare's climactic triumph in 2019, before her retirement with 33 consecutive wins. Appropriately, world-class mares headline Friday night's renewal of the $5 million Queen Elizabeth. Day 2 of The Championships will again feature a live broadcast on FanDuel TV from Randwick, by Sky Racing World's Jason Witham and FanDuel's Andrew "Dubbs" Anderson. DRF en Español will also carry a Spanish broadcast with Roberto Rodriguez. First post is 9:45 p.m. Eastern / 6:45 Pacific.
Despite being named for the stylish street atop the Spanish Steps in Rome, Via Sistina came to Australia via Ireland, France and England rather than Italy or Spain. A Group 1 winner at the Curragh, Via Sistina's European swansong was a 2nd-place finish in last October's G1 Champion Stakes in England, before being sold for US$3.5 million (a tidy return on her $6,700 yearling price four years earlier). The 6-year-old mare debuted Down Under for top Sydney trainer Chris Waller with a smashing victory in the G1 Ranvet Stakes three weeks ago, earning clear-cut favoritism for Friday night's Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Race 8) at the same distance of 1-1/4 miles. Incredibly, the Ranvet exacta was completed by another highly credentialled European mare who was also purchased last December to continue her career in Australia. Place Du Carrousel (named for a public square in Paris), won the 2022 G1 Prix de l'Opera on "Arc Day" in France. Both mares were bought by the same owner from different sales, with 5-year-old Place Du Carrousel's price tag of US$5 million usurping that of Via Sistina.
When Via Sistina (7-5) and Place Du Carrousel (12-1) take aim on the leader, they'll be chasing yet another mare in Pride of Jenni (7-2), who has fine-tuned her natural speed into a weapon at the highest level. Pride of Jenni was 30-1 when just caught in a Sydney Group 1 race in March of last year, 14-1 when just caught in a Melbourne Group 2 race in September – then proceeded to win successive Melbourne Group 1s in November at 15-1 and 12-1! Belated respect this year saw the 6-year-old dispatched at 5-2 in a thrilling renewal of the G1 Australian Cup two weeks ago in Melbourne, when she built a 5-length lead only to be caught in the final two bounds. Pride of Jenni's conqueror was the marvelous veteran Cascadian, whose flashy white face poked through late from last. Cascadian is 8-1 for the Queen Elizabeth Stakes in what is likely to be the 9-year-old's career finale. Mr Brightside (10-1) was named for the 2004 hit song by US rock band The Killers. The popular 6-year-old gelding has won 9 of 21 races at Group 1 or Group 2 level across multiple seasons of admirable consistency. The field's complexity deepens with the surprise inclusion of 3-year-old Ceolwulf (16-1), one week after his gallant 2nd in the Australian Derby at 1-1/2 miles. No 3-year-old has won the Queen Elizabeth since 1997, and trainer Joe Pride admits he doesn't go in "super confident, but with a really nice horse who's still on the way up." Ceolwulf recovered from the Derby "really well," said Pride, "so I thought I would chance my arm – particularly with him being a colt."
Friday night's card also features the following stakes highlights:
• Race 6, the G1 Australian Oaks at 1-1/2 miles, appears a rematch of star New Zealand filly Orchestral (3-5) and Victoria Oaks winner Zardozi (7-2). The pair finished 1st and 3rd respectively two weeks ago in the G1 Vinery Stud Stakes at 1-1/4 miles, in what marked an impressive Australian debut and fifth consecutive win for Orchestral.
• Race 7, the G1 Sydney Cup, is a two-mile handicap. Ciaron Maher, who trained last year's winner, has the top two in wagering. Circle of Fire (7-2), would be an appropriate winner on Queen Elizabeth Stakes Day, having been bred by the late Her Majesty. The 4-year-old has raced only nine times but stormed into Cup calculations with an impressive Australian debut win last week. Victory for Ashrun (5-1) would cap a remarkable comeback story, after he missed almost three years in between 10th and 4th-place finishes in the Melbourne Cups of 2020 and 2023 respectively.
• Race 9, the G1 Queen of the Turf Stakes at a mile for 17 fillies and mares, will see Chris Waller saddle four of the top five in the market. Zougotcha (5-2) is in career-best form, having won both starts this campaign. Waller's hot hand includes Atishu (4-1), Olentia (7-1) and Semana (9-1). Tropical Squall (6-1), from the yard of Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, was a Group 1 winner at the Randwick mile last September.
• Race 4, the G2 Percy Sykes Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, is noteworthy for its entry of Golden Slipper winner Lady of Camelot, who was scratched from last week's G1 Sires' Produce Stakes due to the wet conditions.
The Randwick card will be broadcast live on FanDuel TV this Friday night (First Post: 9:45 p.m. ET / 6:45 p.m. PT) alongside cards from Newcastle, Eagle Farm, Gold Coast, and Ascot. All races will be live-streamed in HD on the Sky Racing World App, skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms such as TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWager, HPIbet, FanDuel and AmWager. Wagering is also available via these ADW platforms. Fans can get free access to live-streaming, past performances, and expert picks on all races at skyracingworld.com.
About Michael Wrona
A native of Brisbane, Australia, Michael Wrona has called races in six countries. Michael's vast U.S. experience includes; race calling at Los Alamitos, Hollywood Park, Arlington and Santa Anita, calling the 2000 Preakness on a national radio network and the 2016 Breeders' Cup on the International simulcast network. Michael also performed a race call voiceover for a Seinfeld episode called The Subway.
