Winx owner refuses to risk family jinx ahead of Queen Elizabeth Stakes

Winx’s owner Debbie Kepitis labelled the Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes the hoodoo race before her mighty mare won it last year.

And there are still some superstitions Kepitis and her family are keen to hold onto ahead of the $4 million group 1 at Randwick on Saturday – even after 24 straight wins and 17 group 1 victories.

She recalled her father Bob Ingham’s great champions Octagonal and Lonhro having their colours lowered in the Queen Elizabeth, and that was what made her nervous before Winx’s won her 17th consecutive race 12 months ago.

Superstitious Kepitis will be in her usual purple outfit this weekend, but there is another secret to success in the crowd. Or, not in the crowd, rather. “I will have my usual family there with my sister Lyn and her family and my brother John will be there as well, but Robby won’t be and he won’t be watching,” Kepitis said of her brother. “He hasn’t seen her live and hasn’t watched her win since about win 11 and he won’t start on Saturday because he doesn’t want to be the jinx. He is as superstitious as I am, so he will wait to watch it on replay.”

Winx is once again unbackable odds to make it 25 wins in a row and her 18th group 1 victory over the Randwick 2000m. It will match the streak of Black Caviar in her unbeaten career. The barrier draw threw up the outside gate of 10 but Kepitis said that it was better than drawing the inside alley. “You don’t really want her in barrier one, I don’t think, because you could get clattered up,” Kepitis said. "From barrier 10, Hugh [Bowman] can sit her where he wants to, if they push him out wide he can go back or sit three-wide if he has too."

The pressure will start to build up towards Saturday for Kepitis and her fellow owners, trainer Chris Waller and jockey Bowman. But it will be no more or less than it has been for the past year as Winx’s profile has grown beyond racing.

“I’m prepared for anything,” Kepitis said. “It kept getting harder with her up to about 17 or 18 wins and it has got no easier than that since, but it hasn’t got harder. You get used to the build up beforehand, but you never get used to the relief after the race.”

Peter Tighe admitted the barrier draw made things a little harder for Winx. “Hugh will probably have to work a bit harder from that gate, but we are just hoping she can get some luck in running and get to show her best as usual,” Tighe said.

The Queen Elizabeth will be Winx’s final run of the preparation and she will go for a spell with the intention of returning for a spring campaign. “It has always been, and always will be, a race-by-race proposition for her and we will do what is best for her,” Kepitis said. “We are looking forward to Saturday at the moment.”

Meanwhile, English trainer Ken Condon might be only man in Sydney not enjoying the usually warm conditions after travelling Success Days to Australia to take up the Winx challenge. “He is definitely better on slow ground but it doesn’t look like we are going to get that,” Condon said. “He worked well (on Tuesday) and I’m happy with him but he has struggled on firm ground before.”

Article courtesy of Fairfax Digital and the Brisbane Times