Winx dealt her Victorian rivals a blow with a commanding Group 1 Seppelt Turnbull Stakes (2000m) victory to tune up for her attempt at a Ladbrokes Cox Plate hat-trick.
A sea of blue was expected in the Flemington stands as racing, sporting and general patrons got behind Winx, and it hit fever-pitch at 3:15pm on Saturday when the champion mare jumped in the Turnbull in her Flemington debut.
The only horse expected to try and end her winning streak was Australian Cup winner Humidor, and Darren Weir's multiple Group 1 winner stalked Winx in the run but simply couldn't go with her late.
Ventura Storm, among Lindsay Park's leading Melbourne Cup hopes, finished off well for second just ahead of Humidor, while Lloyd Williams' pair Assign and Sir Isaac Newton were next in from extreme outsiders Magicool and Skyfire.
It was the champion mare's 21st victory in a row, and the performance was her 25th career victory - the latter statistic seeing her match the amount of wins unbeaten mare Black Caviar tallied.
Racing.com
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