Saturday Post Mortem – August 19

Chris Scholtz reviews racing around Australia on August 19.

THE STAR

WINX: What can you say! A champion performance from an undisputed champion. Her last 600m sectionals tell you how good it was.

How did she do that!?
After missing the start Winx fights through the pack and makes it 18 straight wins in the Warwick Stakes.#GoWinx pic.twitter.com/K4x31h2k5d

— TAB (@tabcomau) August 19, 2017

THEY SAID IT!

"The way the track was playing I was thinking it could be mathematically impossible to catch them. There was nothing I could do about that. I just had to rely on the engine that's inside her." – Hugh Bowman’s thoughts after Winx bombed the start.

"She's just so much better than them and I had to rely on that. I was stuck back there and thinking, this isn't good, I don't want to be here. What can I say, she's just a freak."”- More of Bowman on Winx’s amazing performance..

"It's out of my hands when you put Hugh Bowman on. When you put the reins in his hand you know you've got the right man aboard." - Chris Waller praises Joe Cool for his ride on Winx.

“His win is probably better than what it looks because he was on the wrong leg the whole way around the bend. If they didn’t come here on Tuesday I would have had a bit more of a disagreement with him on the bend.” Craig Williams on Hartnell’s wayward win at Caulfield.

“She stumbled out of the barrier and I was just looking at where I was going to land. She just went down on her nose, she was lucky to stay on her feet and that obviously didn’t help come the business end of the race.” - Kerrin McEvoy on Omei Sword’s Randwick mishap.

SIN BIN

CALCULATED: Too keen, too disappointing.

LANKAN RUPEE: Excuses aside, is it time to call time on a fine career?

IMPREGNABLE: Can’t see him starting this short again any time soon.

HUGH BOWMAN: His ride on Sayed was the flip side to his great ride on Winx. Plenty of punters – and stewards - were left asking where was his renowned strength and vigour over the closing stages.

RIDE OF THE DAY

HUGH BOWMAN: Others riders might have won on Winx, but plenty would have been beaten. With Joe Cool on board she had the right man for the anxious moment.

TALKING POINT

CRAIG WILLIAMS GETS HAMMERED: What a farcical episode involving Hartnell. A champion jockey resorts to foolishness to beat the rules and then gets a token $2000 slap on the wrist. The general view is the stewards should have hit him for six – or at least with the farrier’s hammer he stupidly shoved in his boots to make up the weight.

BLACKBOOK

TOGA PICTA: Encouraging return. Will get better as his distances increase.

LIFE LESS ORDINARY: Couldn’t ask for much more first-up from a horse wanting further.

FOXPLAY: It took a phenomenal Winx to beat her. Says plenty about her spring prospects.

IMPOSING LASS: Certain to be a player in the good mares races.

THE VIRGINIAN: Excellent debut for new stable. Good sprinter.

HE'S OUR ROKKI: Can win a good spring handicap, especially if its wet.

BRAVE SMASH: This is one you want to be with right through the spring.