Winx becomes first international winner of Vox Populi Award

Winx has been voted the winner of the 2018 Secretariat Vox Populi Award, an international online poll to determine the public's favourite horse of the year.

The award, created by Penny Chenery, who named it in honour of her 1973 Triple Crown hero Secretariat, is used to determine the 'people's horse of the year', with votes registered in 60 countries. Winx is the first non-US trained horse to win it.

The Australian mare enjoyed a flawless season, extending her long unbeaten record with eight successes this season before becoming the first horse to land the Cox Plate for a fourth time.

She defeated Breeders' Cup winners Enable and Accelerate in the poll along with US Triple Crown winner Justify and star filly Monomoy Girl.

Kate Chenery Tweedy, daughter of Penny Chenery, said: "Racing certainly offered many historical and heartwarming stories in 2018.

"And once again, the voice of the people spoke very clearly. The fact that both the American public and voters abroad were not limited by international borders is a wonderful testament to the growth of the award and the winner's global appeal.

"Winx represents everything mum envisioned when she created this award and reaffirms her notion that a beloved horse will captivate fans and draw interest to the sport no matter where they race."

This is the eighth year the award has been given. American Pharoah and California Chrome (twice) are on the roll of honour, while Winx is just the second female scorer after Zenyatta, who was voted the inaugural winner.

Winx career details

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