Winx Stakes 2024

Ladbrokes Tip: The Winx Stakes has been a gun guide to the George Main Stakes trifecta (now King Charles III Stakes) in recent years.

The Winx Stakes is a Group 1 race run in August during the early stages of the Sydney Spring Racing Carnival at Royal Randwick Racecourse and was formerly known as the Group 2 Warwick Stakes up until its upgrade and name change in 2018.

2022 Winx Stakes winner Anamoe (pictured in Melbourne). Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

The Group 2 Silver Shadow Stakes, Group 3 Show County Quality and Group 3 Toy Show Quality are the key support races on the Winx Stakes Day card.

The weight-for-age feature is named in honour by the champion mare Winx who won the Warwick Stakes in 2016 and 2017 before making it a triple with her 2018 success.

Taking place over 1400m, the Winx Stakes is now also worth $1,000,000 in total prize money having had its stakes doubled in 2018 before a further boost ahead of the 2022 edition and again in 2023.

Many runners resume racing in the Winx Stakes on their way to tougher assignments in the Spring like the Group 1 George Main Stakes (1600m) and Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) both also held at Randwick. In 2016, 2017 and 2018 Winx did the Warwick Stakes – George Main Stakes double. Anamoe (2022) was the last horse to do the Winx Stakes – George Main Stakes race double.

The George Main Stakes was renamed the King Charles III Stakes ahead of the 2023 edition and moved from September to take place in October on The Everest Day

Earlier in 2015 Royal Descent won the Warwick Stakes first-up before subsequent seconds in the George Main and the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington during the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival. She also ran second in the 2014 edition before seconds in the George Main and Epsom Handicap.

In 2020 trainer Chris Waller won the event for a sixth time with his classy mare Verry Elleegant holding off her stablemate Star Of The Seas in a thrilling photo finish. Verry Elleegant went on to frank the Winx Stakes form winning a host of other Group 1 races including that season’s Caulfield Cup.

Subsequent Melbourne Cup winner Verry Elleegant returned in 2021 for a title defence, but had to settle for second behind Mo’unga in a race marred by the fatal fall of Brandenburg.

Waller added to his impressive Winx Stakes record in 2023 saluting for a seventh time with Fangirl improving on her second in the race the year before, before his eighth success in 2024 with Via Sistina defeating her stablemates Zougotcha (2nd) and Fangirl (3rd). 

The latest edition of the Winx Stakes took place on Saturday August 24, 2024 to kick off Group 1 racing for the spring in Sydney and saw Chris Waller train the trifecta when Via Sistina ($11) charged through for a photo-finish win first-up for her now eight-time winning trainer. 

2024 Winx Stakes Results

The full Winx Stakes 2024 Results and Finishing Order will be published below once the new Group 1 Sydney race is run and won on Saturday August 24, 2024.

2024 Winx Stakes winner Via Sistina (inside) led an all-Waller trifecta. Photo: Steve Hart.

• 1st: #7 Via Sistina 
• 2nd: #9 Zougotcha
• 3rd: #9 Fangirl

The Ladbrokes Cox Plate at The Valley on October 26 is calling for the now all-in favourite Via Sistina after the imported mare added a third career Group 1 win first-up to her growing record with a late charge up the inside to deny stablemates Zougotcha (2nd) and Fangirl (3rd) in the Winx Stakes 2024 results. 

2024 Winx Stakes Odds

The latest Winx Stakes 2024 betting odds on the runners in the one of the country’s more recent Group 1 races, dominated by the now retired Winx from 2016-18, will be provided below once markets open the week of the race.

Winx Stakes Race Info

• Date: Saturday August 24, 2024
• Track: Royal Randwick Racecourse
• Distance: 1400m
• Conditions: Weight-for-age
• Status: Group 1
• Prize Money: $1,000,000
• First Run: 1923

Winx Stakes Betting

Betting on the Winx Stakes is led by proven Sydney performers that race well first or second-up, have form around 1400m – 1600m and that have run well in similar or tougher company in recent campaigns.

Fit horses backing-up from a race like the Missile Stakes also run at Randwick Racecourse often feature high up the Winx Stakes odds, as do those that ran top three in the race the previous spring and have held their form over the past 12 months.

2023 Winx Stakes winner Fangirl enjoyed an Anamoe-free Group 1 win first-up for Waller. Photo: Steve Hart.

Looking for the Chris Waller runners in betting is also favourable as he has won the race eight times most recently in 2020 running the quinella with Verry Elleegant (1st) and Star Of The Seas (2nd); again in 2023 with Fangirl (2nd) and Princess Grace (3rd); and taking out the 2024 trifecta with Via Sistina (1st), Zougotcha (2nd) and the previous year’s winner Fangirl (3rd). 

Verry Elleegant meanwhile also returned to run second as the beaten favourite in 2021.

Anamoe ($2.50 in 2022) was the last Winx Stakes favourite to get the job done.

Winx Stakes Field

The Winx Stakes race field attracts middle distance sprinters – milers, the majority of which are just kicking off or in the early stages of their spring campaigns.

If not resuming in the race, runners may come into the Winx Stakes field – formerly the Warwick Stakes field – via a race like Flemington’s Group 3 Aurie’s Star Handicap (1200m) at Flemington earlier in the month. In 2014 Tiger Tees completed the Aurie’s Star – Warwick Stakes double.

Another lead-up race into the race field held in Sydney is the Group 2 Missile Stakes (1200m) at Randwick a fortnight earlier. The last horse to complete the Missile Stakes – Warwick Stakes double was Pinwheel (2012).

Winx won the race from 2016-18 first-up so looking for resuming horses in the Winx Stakes field, especially those that won a Group 1 the campaign before during the spring, is a good tip.

Mo’unga (2021), Anamoe (2022) and Fangirl (2203) are the latest first-up Winx Stakes winners to claim the race fresh for the spring.

Following a run in the Winx Stakes field horses may return to Randwick in mid-September for a shot at the $1 million 7 Stakes (1600m) held on The Shorts Day for the first time in 2023 in place of the George Main Stakes.

2024 Winx Stakes Field

The official Winx Stakes 2024 final field and barrier draw is announced by Racing NSW on the Wednesday of race week with full acceptances to be listed below once released.

Fangirl chasing back-to-back wins in the spring’s opening Group 1 race is favourite in the 12-horse 2024 Winx Stakes field in Sydney on Saturday. 

2024 Winx Stakes Nominations

The Winx Stakes nominations for 2024 are taken on the Monday leading-up to the race and all the early entries will be announced right here.

Winx Stakes Tips

Good Winx Stakes tips including looking at past performers in the race that are still running well, horses with a nice Randwick race record and Group 1 runners heading into races like the King Charles III Stakes (formerly the George Main Stakes) later in the spring.

With a recent upgrade to Group 1 status and boosted prize money, the Winx Stakes tips are likely to be dominated by proven Group 1 horses with strong form in similar class races from the autumn carnival earlier in the year or any horses finishing-up a winter prep chasing a shot at elite level success.

Chris Waller-trained mares have a gun recent record in the race so also make a good Winx Stakes betting tip if presenting in the right form and race fitness with Fangirl (2023) improving on her second the year before and Via Sistina (2024) the latest to win for the stable. 

2024 Winx Stakes Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ insider Winx Stakes 2024 tips and Group 1 Randwick racing selections will be detailed below the week of the race so stay tuned for the weight-for-age spring gallopers to back and sack.

• To Win: #9 Zougotcha ($8.50 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Fangirl for the Waller team is the short-priced favourite and defending champion in this weekend’s Winx Stakes, but taking her on with stablemate Zougotcha who has a terrific first-up record and looks value fresh here. The five-year-olds boasts a 50% winning strike rate from eight previous Randwick runs and comes off an incredible autumn campaign having won her past three straight starts. Group 1 Coolmore Classic – Queen of the Turf double at her latest two, drawn well mid-field in gate six and Tommy Berry rides. Ticks plenty of boxes and can surprise. 

Winx Stakes Form Guide

The Winx Stakes form guide features all the must-know information like the jockeys and trainers, barrier draw and lead-up runs of the horses in the field.

As many runners are kicking off their spring campaigns in the weight-for-age event, looking at the Winx Stakes form for first-up hopes with nice records when fresh is important. Royal Descent (2015) won first-up, improving on her second to Tiger Tees in 2014, before star stablemate Winx won the 2016, 2017 and 2018 editions fresh as did Waller’s seventh Winx Stakes winner Fangirl in 2023 and the stable’s eighth champion Via Sistina in 2024. 

The Winx Stakes form, previously run as the Warwick Stakes, has held-up in tougher spring races plenty of times in recent years especially the George Main Stakes (now King Charles III Stakes) over the Randwick mile later in the spring.

In 2021 Verry Elleegant improved on her Winx Stakes second to win the George Main Stakes next start. She also went on to win that spring’s Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on the first Tuesday of November.

Anamoe franked the Winx Stakes 2022 form going on to win three straight Group 1 races that spring including the Ladbrokes Cox Plate before a huge autumn in 2023 that included his Chipping Norton – George Ryder Group 1 double.

2024 Winx Stakes Form Facts

• Five-year-olds have the best record in the Winx Stakes with 11 wins in the past 30 years, most recently Verry Elleegant (2020) and Fangirl (2023).
• First-up performers dominate the race with 25 of the past 33 winners doing so fresh, most recently Mo’unga (2021), Anamoe (2022), Fangirl (2023), and Via Sistina (2024).
• Ten mares have won the Warwick / Winx Stakes throughout history most recently Verry Elleegant (2020), Fangirl (2023), and Via Sistina (2024) all for Chris Waller. 
• Since 1983 16 favourites have won the Warwick / Winx Stakes, most recently Winx who was odds-on for all three of her victories between 2016-18 and Anamoe (2022).
• Trusting (2009) was the last three-year-old winner.

2024 Winx Stakes Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive Winx Stakes 2024 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

Warwick Stakes / Winx Stakes Results

The Winx Stakes race results have been a mix of well-backed single-figure hopes and roughie hopes scoring the upset in the past decade with the last to salute at double-figures being shock 2019 winner Samadoubt ($41).

In recent times there have been some notable winners of the Winx Stakes including Chris Waller’s seventh champion Fangirl (2023), the fellow Waller-trained Verry Elleegant (2020), her three-time champion Winx (2016-18) who the race is now named in honour of, Royal Descent (2015), Tiger Tees (2014), Pinwheel (2011-12), Metal Bender (2010), and Racing To Win (2008).

Last Winx Stakes winning mare: Via Sistina (2024).

Last Winx Stakes winning three-year-old: Trusting (2009).

Samadoubt holds the current Winx Stakes record winning in 2001 in a time of 1 minute 21:05 seconds.

Past Winx Stakes / Warwick Stakes Winners

Recent Winx Stakes winners and placegetters dating back to the year 2000 are detailed in the below table.

FAQ

When is the Winx Stakes 2024?

What is the prize money for the Winx Stakes 2024?

$1,000,000

Where is the Winx Stakes 2024?

Randwick Racecourse, Alison Rd, Randwick NSW 2031.