The History of the Group 1 Winx Stakes: From the Warwick Stakes to One of Australian Racing’s Great Weight-for-Age Contests In 2026
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The History of the Group 1 Winx Stakes: From the Warwick Stakes to One of Australian Racing’s Great Weight-for-Age Contests
Australian racing is built on history. Its greatest races survive generations, evolving with the sport while maintaining a connection to the champions that came before.
Few races demonstrate that evolution better than the Group 1 Winx Stakes.
Today, the Winx Stakes is a 1400-metre weight-for-age contest at Royal Randwick, traditionally staged in August and serving as the first Group 1 race of the Sydney spring. Yet its history stretches back more than a century, long before the champion mare whose name now appears above the race ever stepped onto a racetrack.
For most of its existence, the event was known as the Warwick Stakes.
First conducted in 1923, the race has been won by an extraordinary collection of Australian champions, including Limerick, Chatham, Flight, Bernborough, Tulloch, Kingston Town, Super Impose, Sunline, Lonhro, Winx, Verry Elleegant, Anamoe, Fangirl and Via Sistina.
Its honour roll tells the story of Australian racing itself.
From the great champions of the interwar period through to the internationalised world of modern racing, the Warwick Stakes—and now the Winx Stakes—has continually provided the first major glimpse of horses destined to dominate the spring.
The Beginning: The Warwick Stakes of 1923
The story begins in 1923, when the Warwick Stakes was conducted for the first time.
The inaugural winner was Sunburst.
Originally run over seven furlongs, approximately 1400 metres, the race was established as an important weight-for-age contest and quickly began attracting some of the leading horses in training.
Weight-for-age racing is an important part of the race’s identity.
Unlike handicaps, where horses receive different weights according to their assessed ability, weight-for-age racing attempts to place elite horses on comparatively even terms according to age and sex.
Consequently, the Warwick Stakes developed into a race where champions could demonstrate their superiority without the same handicap concessions found in races such as the Melbourne Cup or Doncaster Mile.
It wasn’t long before genuine champions began appearing on the honour roll.
Limerick Creates the First Great Chapter
One of the earliest stars was the remarkable Limerick.
The New Zealand-bred champion won the Warwick Stakes for three consecutive years from 1927 to 1929, becoming the first horse to achieve the feat.
Limerick was one of the outstanding Australasian racehorses of his era, competing successfully across numerous distances.
His dominance established an early benchmark for the Warwick Stakes.
More importantly, it began a tradition that would be repeated decades later by two of the greatest horses Australia has ever seen.
Kingston Town would win three consecutive editions.
Then Winx would do the same.
That places Limerick in extraordinarily distinguished company.
Amounis and Chatham Continue the Tradition
The quality continued into the 1930s.
Amounis, one of Australia’s great champions, won in 1930.
Then came another superstar in Chatham, who captured consecutive editions in 1933 and 1934.
Chatham was one of the dominant horses of Australian racing during the Depression era and became famous for his brilliance at middle distances.
The presence of horses such as Limerick, Amounis and Chatham on the early honour roll demonstrated something important.
The Warwick Stakes wasn’t merely another preparation race.
The champions were winning it.
That reputation would follow the race for the next century.
Flight and Bernborough
The 1940s delivered two more legendary winners.
The brilliant mare Flight won the Warwick Stakes in 1944.
Two years later, the great Bernborough added the race to his extraordinary record in 1946.
Both horses occupy important positions in Australian racing history.
Flight became one of Australia’s most celebrated mares, while Bernborough’s remarkable winning streak made him one of the country’s first genuine racing superstars.
Once again, the Warwick Stakes had attracted—and been won by—the best.
The Tulloch Era
Australian racing in the 1950s was dominated by several extraordinary horses, but few names carry greater historical significance than Tulloch.
Tulloch won the Warwick Stakes in 1957.
His victory added yet another champion to an increasingly remarkable honour roll.
Tulloch would ultimately become one of the most celebrated horses in Australasian racing history, demonstrating exceptional versatility across distances.
His Warwick Stakes victory reinforces a pattern visible throughout the race’s history.
The race frequently identifies horses capable of performing successfully well beyond 1400 metres.
That characteristic remains relevant today.
The Winx Stakes may be run over 1400 metres, but many of its winners are not specialist 1400-metre horses.
Instead, they are exceptional racehorses using the event to begin campaigns towards longer spring targets.
From Principal Race to Group Racing
Australian racing underwent significant changes with the introduction of the Group and Listed classification system.
The Warwick Stakes had historically been regarded as a Principal Race.
In 1979, it became a Group 2 event. It would retain Group 2 status for almost four decades.
The timing proved particularly appropriate.
Because one of the greatest weight-for-age horses Australia has ever produced was about to make the race his own.
Kingston Town: Three Years of Dominance
Kingston Town won the Warwick Stakes in 1980, 1981 and 1982.
Three consecutive victories matched the achievement of Limerick more than half a century earlier.
Kingston Town’s Warwick Stakes dominance occurred during one of the greatest careers in Australian racing.
The champion gelding famously won three consecutive Cox Plates between 1980 and 1982 and became virtually unbeatable in Sydney.
The Warwick Stakes was perfectly positioned within his campaigns.
At 1400 metres, it gave a high-class middle-distance horse the opportunity to resume before gradually progressing towards his major spring objectives.
That pattern became one of the defining characteristics of the race.
Rather than simply attracting specialist sprinters, the Warwick Stakes became the traditional launching point for some of Australia’s greatest middle-distance horses.
The Greatest Upset? Pablo’s Pulse at 500-1
Not every Warwick Stakes story involves a champion winning as expected.
The 1987 Warwick Stakes produced one of Australian racing’s most extraordinary upsets.
Pablo’s Pulse won at odds reported at 500-1.
It remains one of those results that demonstrates the unpredictability of horse racing.
Even weight-for-age racing can produce enormous surprises.
And decades later, another outsider would remind punters of exactly that lesson.
Super Impose Goes Back-to-Back
The early 1990s produced another champion dual winner.
Super Impose captured consecutive Warwick Stakes in 1990 and 1991.
Super Impose was one of the toughest and most versatile racehorses of his generation, winning major races under a variety of conditions.
His Warwick Stakes victories reinforced the race’s reputation as an ideal spring starting point for established champions.
Shaftesbury Avenue followed by winning in 1992, further strengthening an exceptional period in the race’s history.
Sunline Arrives
Then came one of the greatest mares Australasia has ever produced.
Sunline won the Warwick Stakes in 1999.
The champion New Zealand mare became famous for her powerful front-running style and remarkable consistency.
Sunline’s victory added another champion mare to a race that would eventually become named after arguably the greatest mare Australian racing has ever seen.
At the time, however, it remained the Warwick Stakes.
And another superstar was about to emerge.
Lonhro Lights Up Sydney
The magnificent black stallion Lonhro became a dual Warwick Stakes winner, taking the race in 2001 and 2003.
Between those victories, Defier won in 2002.
Lonhro’s Warwick Stakes performances came during an era in which he became one of Sydney racing’s most popular horses.
His explosive acceleration and remarkable consistency made him a fan favourite, while his later success as a stallion only strengthened his legacy.
Other notable winners during this period included Private Steer in 2004, Court’s In Session in 2006 and Racing To Win in 2008.
The 2007 edition was not conducted because of the Australian equine influenza outbreak, one of the most disruptive events Australian racing has experienced in modern times.
Pinwheel Becomes a Dual Winner
Godolphin galloper Pinwheel joined the race’s multiple-winner club with victories in 2011 and 2012.
The following years produced winners including Veyron, Tiger Tees and Royal Descent.
Then everything changed.
A mare called Winx arrived.
Winx and the Race That Would Carry Her Name
By 2016, Winx was already establishing herself as something extraordinary.
Trained by Chris Waller and ridden throughout the defining period of her career by Hugh Bowman, Winx entered the 2016 Warwick Stakes during the winning sequence that would eventually stretch to an almost unbelievable 33 consecutive victories.
She won.
In fact, her 2016 Warwick Stakes success represented the tenth consecutive victory of her famous streak.
She returned in 2017 attempting to win the race again.
What happened next produced one of the most memorable moments of her career.
The Day Winx Nearly Lost
The 2017 Warwick Stakes demonstrated that champions can overcome circumstances that would defeat ordinary horses.
Winx became fractious immediately before the start, struck the barriers and then missed the start by approximately four lengths.
Suddenly, the seemingly unbeatable mare was in serious trouble.
Stablemate Foxplay established what appeared to be a winning advantage.
Winx had an enormous amount of ground to recover.
Then the champion began coming.
Stride by stride, she closed the gap.
In the final stages, she caught Foxplay to preserve her extraordinary winning sequence.
It wasn’t Winx’s most dominant victory.
But it may have been one of her most revealing.
Great horses win when everything goes perfectly.
Champions sometimes win when almost nothing does.
The Warwick Stakes Becomes the Winx Stakes
By this stage, Australian racing authorities recognised that they were witnessing a horse worthy of permanent recognition.
In 2018, the Australian Turf Club renamed the Warwick Stakes in honour of Winx.
At the same time, the race received an enormously important elevation.
It became a Group 1.
The newly named Winx Stakes carried $500,000 in prizemoney when the change was introduced, double the previous year’s $250,000 purse.
It was an extraordinary tribute to a champion who was still racing.
But the story became even better.
Winx herself lined up in the inaugural running of the race bearing her name.
And she won it.
Winx Wins the Winx Stakes
On 18 August 2018, Winx returned to Randwick.
The pressure was enormous.
She was contesting a Group 1 race named in her honour while carrying one of the longest winning streaks in racing history.
She delivered.
Winx defeated Invictus Prince, with D’Argento finishing third.
It was her third consecutive victory in the event—2016 and 2017 as the Warwick Stakes and 2018 as the Winx Stakes.
That placed her alongside Limerick and Kingston Town as a three-time winner.
There was also extraordinary symmetry in the numbers.
Her first victory had been win number 10 of her streak.
Her second was number 18.
Her third was number 26.
The Warwick Stakes had found the perfect horse after which to name its next chapter.
Samadoubt Produces Another Shock
The first Winx Stakes after Winx’s retirement produced a reminder that racing rarely follows a predictable script.
Samadoubt won the 2019 edition at approximately 30-1, defeating Happy Clapper and Invincible Gem.
After three consecutive Winx victories, the race suddenly belonged to an outsider.
But the champions soon returned.
Verry Elleegant Begins Her Spring
In 2020, another Chris Waller-trained superstar won the race.
Verry Elleegant defeated Star Of The Seas, with Fierce Impact third.
Verry Elleegant would go on to become one of Australia’s greatest modern staying mares, eventually winning the 2021 Melbourne Cup.
Her Winx Stakes victory again demonstrated the race’s importance as a spring launching point.
She wasn’t a specialist 1400-metre horse.
She was an elite middle-distance and staying mare beginning a major campaign.
That is the essence of the Winx Stakes.
Mo’unga, Anamoe and Fangirl
Mo’unga won in 2021 before another superstar arrived in 2022.
Godolphin’s Anamoe won the Winx Stakes under James McDonald, beginning a remarkable campaign that ultimately strengthened his reputation as one of Australia’s premier weight-for-age horses.
Then came Fangirl in 2023.
Her victory carried particular significance for Chris Waller.
Remarkably, Fangirl’s success represented Waller’s 150th Group 1 training victory, achieved in the race named after the mare responsible for so many of his greatest moments.
It was an extraordinary piece of racing symmetry.
Via Sistina Makes It Two Straight
The next chapter belonged to another exceptional Waller mare.
Via Sistina won the 2024 Winx Stakes, defeating Zougotcha and Fangirl.
She returned in 2025 and won again, this time defeating Aeliana and Arapaho, becoming the latest multiple winner of this historic race.
Her back-to-back victories further underline the remarkable influence Chris Waller has exerted over the modern era of the event.
From Winx to Verry Elleegant, Fangirl and Via Sistina, his stable has become almost inseparable from the recent history of the race.
A Race That Has Travelled Around Sydney
Although modern racing fans associate the Winx Stakes with Royal Randwick, historically its home was predominantly Warwick Farm.
The race moved between venues at different stages of its history, including Warwick Farm, Randwick and, for one edition, Canterbury.
Since 2014, it has been conducted at Royal Randwick.
Its distance has also changed.
It began over seven furlongs, was extended to a mile during part of the 1930s, returned to seven furlongs, became 1400 metres following metrication and briefly dropped to 1300 metres around the turn of the century.
Since 2002, 1400 metres has been the established distance.
Why 1400 Metres Works So Well
The 1400-metre distance is one of the reasons the Winx Stakes works so effectively as an early spring Group 1.
It is short enough for elite middle-distance horses to resume without needing to be at peak fitness.
But it is long enough to provide a genuine examination.
A horse requires speed to hold a position.
It needs to relax.
And it needs sufficient fitness to finish strongly.
For trainers planning campaigns towards races such as the George Main/King Charles, Epsom Handicap, Cox Plate and other major spring features, the Winx Stakes provides an invaluable starting point.
A horse can be beaten in the Winx Stakes and still have an outstanding spring.
But winning it immediately demonstrates that the horse has returned in exceptional order.
An Honour Roll Few Races Can Match
Consider just some of the names that appear in the history of this race:
Limerick.
Amounis.
Chatham.
Flight.
Bernborough.
Tulloch.
Kingston Town.
Super Impose.
Sunline.
Lonhro.
Winx.
Verry Elleegant.
Anamoe.
Fangirl.
Via Sistina.
Few Australian races outside the country’s most famous championship events can boast a comparable collection of champions.
That honour roll explains why elevation to Group 1 status in 2018 felt entirely appropriate.
The race had been producing Group 1-quality winners long before it officially carried the classification.
The First Group 1 of the Sydney Spring
Today, the Winx Stakes occupies an enormously important position.
The Australian Turf Club promotes it as the opening Group 1 of the Sydney spring, and in 2026 the race is again scheduled at Royal Randwick over 1400 metres under weight-for-age conditions.
That positioning creates enormous anticipation.
Winter is ending.
The champions are returning.
Major spring campaigns are beginning.
And for the first time in months, many of Australia’s best horses meet under Group 1 conditions.
It provides racing fans with their first serious opportunity to assess the stars preparing for the months ahead.
More Than a Race Named After a Champion
Renaming historic races can sometimes generate debate.
Tradition matters in Australian racing.
The Warwick Stakes carried almost a century of history before becoming the Winx Stakes.
Yet few horses could provide a more appropriate bridge between past and future than Winx.
She didn’t merely lend her name to the race.
She earned her connection to it.
She won it three times.
She used it repeatedly to launch spring campaigns.
She produced one of her most dramatic victories in the 2017 edition.
And then she won the inaugural Group 1 running bearing her own name.
The Warwick Stakes history wasn’t erased.
Instead, it became part of the Winx Stakes story.
The Legacy Continues
More than 100 years after Sunburst won the inaugural Warwick Stakes in 1923, the race remains one of Australian racing’s great tests of weight-for-age quality.
Its name has changed.
Its venue has changed.
Its distance has occasionally changed.
Its classification has risen from Principal Race to Group 2 and ultimately Group 1.
But its fundamental purpose remains remarkably similar.
It brings outstanding horses together at the beginning of spring and asks one simple question:
Which champion is ready?
Throughout history, the answers have included Limerick, Chatham, Flight, Bernborough, Tulloch, Kingston Town, Super Impose, Sunline and Lonhro.
In the modern era they have included Winx, Verry Elleegant, Anamoe, Fangirl and Via Sistina.
And each August, another field gets the opportunity to join them.
Final Thoughts: A Century of Champions
The history of the Group 1 Winx Stakes is ultimately a history of Australian champions.
Beginning as the Warwick Stakes in 1923, it developed from an important seven-furlong Principal Race into one of the most prestigious weight-for-age events of the Sydney spring.
Limerick established its early greatness.
Flight, Bernborough and Tulloch enhanced it.
Kingston Town dominated it.
Super Impose, Sunline and Lonhro carried its reputation into the modern era.
Then came Winx.
Her three consecutive victories from 2016 to 2018 transformed her relationship with the race from champion participant to permanent namesake.
When the Warwick Stakes became the Winx Stakes and was elevated to Group 1 status in 2018, one chapter ended and another began.
Yet the quality has never disappeared.
Verry Elleegant won it.
Anamoe won it.
Fangirl won it.
Via Sistina has won it twice.
And tomorrow, another outstanding field will assemble at Royal Randwick for the 2026 Winx Stakes, continuing a tradition that began more than a century ago.
That is what makes the race special.
It isn’t simply a Group 1 over 1400 metres.
It is a bridge connecting generations of Australian racing greatness.
From Limerick to Kingston Town.
From Sunline to Lonhro.
From Winx to Verry Elleegant.
From the Warwick Stakes of 1923 to the Winx Stakes of today.
More than 100 years later, the names may change, but the objective remains exactly the same:
Win at Randwick, announce yourself for the spring, and earn a place alongside some of the greatest racehorses Australia has ever seen.
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