Winx Stakes Preview and Tips 24/08/24

After a long Winter, it’s time for Spring racing! I’ve got your Winx Stakes horse racing tips sorted for the race on Saturday. It’s good to be back again for another epic Spring and as always, the field is packed with quality runners. My Saturday tips are here as we see 12 runners fight it out for one of the best Group One races of Spring.

I’ve done all the heavy lifting, so you can sit back and relax. In total, I’ve got five Winx Stakes, so there is certainly something for everyone. The best betting sites have got their odds markets up as well. The question is, where’s the best value?

My Winx Stakes tips are hot off the presses for OnlyRacing and I’m looking forward to a massive Spring Racing Carnival. Hopefully, you can stick around with me for all the action. Now, it’s the time you’ve all been waiting for my Winx Stakes preview! 

For the 2024 Winx Stakes, there are 12 runners confirmed and no emergencies either. At the time of writing, there haven’t been any scratchings, but do keep your eye on this, as things can change pretty quickly. In terms of the race tempo, I think there will be pretty decent speed in this one.

The likes of Just Fine and Tropical Squall will look to control the tempo out front for the 1,400m race. Semana maps pretty well to sit behind the leaders, giving her cover to strike in the closing stages. A sticky draw for Fangirl/Via Sistina means they will both likely look for cover.

I have done a little dance back and forth, but I keep coming back to Fangirl, so I’m locking her in as my best bet for the first Group 1 of the Spring Racing Carnival. Like a lot of the runners coming into this, I’ve had to look into trial form and I think Fangirl has done alright. You can’t really teach class though and she is oozing it.

Fangirl is the current $2.25 favourite, according to PlayUp. I think that’s a bit on the skinny side, considering some of the other runners in this one, but James McDonald books the ride and the two have a very good relationship. The wide draw does her no favours either, so she’ll find some cover to strike in the closing stages.

A lot of respect needs to be shown to Zougotcha and I get the feeling she is flying under the radar a little bit in this one. Last prep was excellent for her with a record of three wins from three starts. Those runs weren’t easy either, with two of them coming in Group 1 company, winning the Coolmore Classic and the Queen of the Turf Stakes.

With two barrier trials under her belt, she’s as ready as any of them for the Winx Stakes on Saturday. She’s another with a strong first-up record as well, so I’m keen to see how she goes in this one as well as how her Spring turns out. I reckon Zougotcha to place at $2.80 with Bet365 is a pretty safe bet.

If you’re looking for value, you really can’t go past Detonator Jack. There was a lot of promise in Detonator Jack in his last prep but it was ultimately not ideal. However, looking at the trial, I think Detonator Jack is a decent chance for this and could raise a few eyebrows. He is currently listed with odds of $3.70 to place, with Dabble.

Trainer Ciaron Maher has been trying Detonator Jack and many different distances, so hopefully this one’s a winner. He maps alright as well, so I’m willing to take a chance with him, especially considering the odds that are in play here. A place bet is as far as I’m willing to go with Detonator Jack though.

I think Riff Rocket a lot. So much so that I almost put him as my best bet for this one. I think he can cause the update here and certainly deserves the title of “The Danger” for the 2024 Winx Stakes. This will be a good test for him to springboard himself to bigger and better things later in the Spring. He is listed with odds of $8.75/$2.25 at the moment with QuestBet.

He is three from three when first up. However, his three Group 1 victories last season were all over a longer distance (2,000m+), so I’ll be keeping a close eye on him to see if he has the speed. It’s been a while since we’ve seen Riff Rocket, but he is going for the hat trick after back-to-back Group 1 wins before the Winter break.

With a $2.25 favourite, this means that there are plenty of roughies to choose from and the best of all the roughies (in my opinion) is Semana. With Bet Right, Semana is currently paying $12/$3.20 and I like the look of here enough not just to go for the place, I reckon an each-way bet is on the cards.

The last time Semana was in action was in the Tattersall’s Tiara when she ran Bella Nipotina to a length and finished in second place. She’s the kind of runner that will go through the gears nicely, even in her first-up run. She’ll need the right breaks at the right time, but I think she might be able to cause an upset here.

All my Winx Stakes best bets and their odds can be found here:

Bookmaker	Tip	Odds
	Fangirl (win)	$2.25
	Zougotcha (place)	$2.80
	Detonator Jack (place)	$3.70
	Riff Rocket (each-way)	$8.75/$2.25
	Semana (each-way)	$12/3.20