WINX

Winx made winning routine on the racetrack but motherhood is proving far more challenging.

After the celebrated birth of her first foal two months ago, Winx has failed to fall pregnant again this breeding season.

This means the mighty mare will not produce her second foal until the spring of 2024 at the earliest – more than five years after she contested her final race.

Part-owner Peter Tighe confirmed Winx has failed to get back in foal after visiting Arrowfield Stud's super sire Snitzel a few weeks ago.

"Winx was served once by Snitzel but the (pregnancy) tests returned negative, she is not in foal,'' Tighe said.

"There were plans to send her to Snitzel again but she wasn't ready. We were hopeful she would get back in foal this year so it's disappointing but that is Mother Nature.

"It was getting very late in the season and our first priority is always Winx's health and well-being.

"The ownership group just felt it would be in Winx's best interests to give her a year off and she will be better for it.''

Winx made headlines again around the racing world when she gave birth to a filly foal by Coolmore's champion sire Pierro in early October.

Tighe said the good news is Winx is a "doting Mum" to her two-month-old filly.

"Winx keeps a close eye on her foal,'' Tighe said. "Everything is going well with the filly, she is strong and healthy.''

Tighe said it was "too early" to say whether Winx would return to Snitzel in the 2023 breeding season.

"There is no reason not to go back to Snitzel but that is not something the owners have discussed yet,'' he added.

Winx won 37 of her 43 races, including 33 in succession to close out her career. She won 25 times at Group 1 level and earned a world record $26.4m prizemoney.

But it hasn't been plain sailing for Winx at stud with the mare tragically losing her first foal in 2020. She was given a year to recover then produced her first foal earlier this spring.

Meanwhile, champion broodmare Jade Tiara has passed away. She was 29.

Jade Tiara, who resided at breeder Ian Smith's Edinburgh Park at Taree, is famous as the dam of Hong Kong's super sprinter Silent Witness.