Winx unlikely to be covered this season after loss of first foal

Winx's part-owner Peter Tighe revealed on Friday that the former superstar racer is recovering well after her first foal, a filly by I Am Invincible, was stillborn.

However, he also admitted that time was running out for Winx to be served this spring, with the champion mare appearing far more likely to return to the breeding barn in 2021.

Tighe, a part-owner of inaugural The Gong winner Mister Sea Wolf - who returns to defend his title in the A$1 million feature on Saturday - told News Corp’s Ray Thomas in a wide-ranging interview that Winx took time to overcome her ordeal but that she bounced back thanks to the top-class veterinary care she received.

The brilliant Australian mare, now nine, bounded into the record books when notching up 33 wins in a row, with a staggering 25 Group 1 wins and more than A$26 million (now approx £14.2m/€15.9m) in prize-money to boot.

Trained by Chris Waller, the daughter of Street Cry bowed out of an astonishing career - which included four Cox Plate and George Ryder Stakes victories - when landing her third Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick in April last year.

She was tied on 130 with dual Champion Stakes winner and now Darley sire Cracksman for the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings in 2018.

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