Owners of champion race mare Winx have confirmed she is pregnant again, this time to Arrowfield stud stallion Snitzel.
The news comes just days before the highly anticipated sale of Winx’s first foal on Monday, which is tipped to nudge multi-million dollar thoroughbred yearling records.
Part-owner Peter Tighe said it was an exciting next step in Winx’s broodmare career and she was in good health.
“She’s an incredible mother,” he said.
Winx won a world record 33 straight races, including 25 Group 1 wins and a record four Cox Plates as part of her more than $26-million racing career.
She retired in 2019 to become a broodmare.
Winx lost her first foal to stallion, I Am Invincible, in 2020 before she gave birth to a Pierro filly in October 2022.
She visited Arrowfield’s Snitzel last year, which led to the latest foal due this spring.
“[Snitzel] has been on the shortlist for a couple of years. You can only go to one a year,” Mr Tighe laughed.
“We didn’t want to leave it too much longer with Snitzel. He’s not getting any younger and he throws such a high grade foal when you get one so that’s why wanted to get one before his career ended.
“We’re keeping our fingers crossed that everything goes to plan for the rest of the pregnancy.”
The stallion’s service fee of $247,500 is among the highest in the country.
Arrowfield Stud general manager Paul Messara was delighted Winx’s owners chose Snitzel.
“He’s been champion sire four times in the past, statistically probably the leading sire in the country in terms of stakes winners to runners,” he said.
“He just has a fantastic record of producing top offspring, both fillies and colts.
“Obviously [Winx] is one of Australia’s finest, and certainly a name in racing that everyone knows.”
Mr Messara said next week’s sale of the Winx filly would give a good gauge on what future progeny could be worth but was quick to add that the owners might not sell the next one.
“A Snitzel colt out of Winx could be worth anything, certainly into the millions.”
No impact on next week’s filly sale
Winx’s first live foal, the Pierro filly, now 18 months’ old, has attracted global attention and will sell at the annual Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale on April 8.
Industry insiders said previously the price could threaten the filly yearling record of $2.6 million and possibly the all-time yearling record of $5 million paid for Black Caviar’s half brother in 2013.
Mr Tighe said the latest news would not have an impact on Monday’s sale.
“It’s just part of the Winx story,” he said.
He said the Snitzel foal did not have an impact on the ownership group’s decision to sell the Pierro filly.
“I couldn’t give you an exact timeframe but the pregnancy wasn’t dependent on the sale, or vice versa.”
