A beautiful, heartfelt story about the greatest racehorse on the planet, A Horse Named Winx is an emotional ride (pun fully intended). Written and narrated by Andrew Rule, and directed and produced by Janine Hosking, it tells the tale of the record-breaking mare through the people that raced her. The retired champion won her last 33 races, including 25 Group 1s, at distances ranging from 1,300 to 2,200 metres. Her maiden race victory was over 1,100 metres. Hers is a horse racing fairytale, but the more she won, the greater the pressure, particularly on trainer Chris Waller and long-serving jockey Hugh Bowman.
Winx was the people’s horse and a dream ending was always in peril after she claimed a third WS Cox Plate and a year later, a fourth. A loss would have been devastating. There were overtures to take her overseas to race the best the world had to offer, but ultimately the call was made not to … because it wasn’t in Winx’s best interests. A Horse Named Winx works through the champion’s entire life, from when she was born and bought as a foal to her wins, losses and then, of course, more wins.
When she was first purchased, she was regarded as very tall with amazingly long legs, not a small frame and a touch fragile. Among the keys to her success was her rump. We see parts of her races … and the way she won – with her remarkable turn of speed. Not only could she lengthen her stride when she needed to, but she could quicken it. Winx could move 170 lengths in a minute, compared to 140 by most other horses. Mind you, as successful as she was, there were still medical setbacks, both while she was racing and, more particularly, the biggest fight of her life after she retired.
Included in the documentary are interviews with many of those associated with the horse. There is the trainer, the owners, the jockeys who rode her and who were opposed to her, the strappers, those responsible for her while she was spelled, and more. They are the ones who provide real insight into how she needed to be handled to ensure they brought out the best in her on race day.
The interview with Chris Waller was conducted in one sitting and it went for nearly six hours. Conducted by sports journalist Cameron Williams, the parts that are shown are real eye openers. They reveal just how much of a details man the always measured Waller is and how he cared for Winx. The doco reveals how she was handled, at times left alone, for she didn’t crave affection.
I found the documentary a deeply moving experience. Although the story of Winx’s running streak is well known, I learned a great deal about what it took for her to reach the heights that she did.
A Horse Named Winx is a triumph of documentary filmmaking. Kevin Scott’s cinematography is breathtaking. Statistics aside, the tension and genuine affection built into the doco are what give it so much heart and soul. The doco is a very special record of a very special horse.
Alex First
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Alex First is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.