by Bren O'Brien
Few people are better placed to track the development of superstar Winx (Street Cry {Ire}) from yearling to world's best racehorse than the man who picked her out at Magic Millions on the Gold Coast in 2013, bloodstock agent Guy Mulcaster.
Always keen to downplay his role in unearthing the winner of an unprecedented 30 consecutive races in Australia, Mulcaster said the one thing he notices most about the now 7-year-old is her composure and professionalism.
"I was lucky to be there this week when she was preparing for yesterday's race you could see that she never batted the eyelid the entire week," Mulcaster told RadioTAB.
Winx enjoying some time out after her win
"She went to Randwick and did a gallop in front of the crowd and had a workout on Tuesday and Thursday and you can see every day she was just taking it in her stride."
"You can see she was very focussed during the week. She really meant business."
The streak rolls on
Winx's third win in the G2 Apollo S. at Randwick was her first start in what is likely to be her final campaign. It was as 'no-fuss' a resumption as Chris Waller could have hoped for as she cruised home to beat Happy Clapper (Teofilio {Ire}) by 2,3l, taking her prizemoney past the $23 million mark.
Like most of the wins in her amazing streak, Mulcaster wasn't trackside but instead is in Perth readying for the upcoming Magic Millions Yearling Sale.
From the other side of the continent he watched her add to her astonishing record, getting a fresh insight of how significant the 'Winx Effect' is on an entire racing nation.
"It’s become worldwide too, I've got friends of mine in Europe and they ask when is she racing next and they get out of bed early in the morning to watch her race." - Guy Mulcaster
The 'Winx effect', the crowds at Randwick cheering Winx home
"I've been there to watch seven or eight (of her wins). You know it’s amazing, we were at Ascot at Perth yesterday and the whole crowd is as quiet as anything during the race and once she got them covered, they all explode," he said.
"It’s become worldwide too, I've got friends of mine in Europe and they ask when is she racing next and they get out of bed early in the morning to watch her race."
"Even people who are not into racing, they are asking 'when is she running?' or 'when can they watch it'?"
Bigger and better
The other aspect of Winx's development which has stood out for Mulcaster is her physical growth since her 3-year-old year, when she suffered her last defeat in the 2015 G1 ATC Oaks.
"I recall when she came to Brisbane as a 3-year-old, she was pretty light and she didn’t carry a lot of condition but she's just kept furnishing since then," he said.
Winx as a yearling at the Gold Coast Magic Millions Sale
The story of Winx's sale at the 2013 Gold Coast Magic Millions has been told many times. Mulcaster said in many ways, the Street Cry filly was one on their shortlist that just fell into the right price range.
"Like any sale, we make a shortlist and have a batting order. The previous couple of days the horses that Peter (Tighe) and Debbie (Kepitis) wanted to buy were probably a bit expensive for their budget. As it happened, later in the sale, we managed to get Winx," he said of the $230,000 purchase.
'Managed to get Winx' is an achievement any bloodstock agent would love on their resume. For Mulcaster, she is the headliner of an array of successful purchases he has made with Waller.
Owner Debbie Kepitis returns to scale with Winx and Hugh Bowman
He, of course, selected G1 Caulfield Guineas winner The Autumn Sun (Redoute's Choice) as well as many of Waller's other stars.
But while Winx's latest success is suitable distraction, sales season is where Mulcaster makes his reputation. Having bought 16 yearlings at the Gold Coast, ten at Karaka and a couple at last week's Classic Sale in Sydney, his focus is firmly on the inaugural Magic Millions sale at Swan Valley, which starts on Monday.
"You have to prepare for the future, we are over here in Perth, with the sale to start in the next couple of days. We’ve got our eye on a few nice horses so we will see how we go here," he said.
