The Winx family has been on fire this autumn producing a flurry of new stakes-winners led by Group I winner Gringotts and Group II winners Enriched and Vegas Queen with a fourth emerging on Saturday when blue-blood mare City of Lights captured the $250,000 Group III Hawkesbury Crown (1300m).
A homebred for John Camilleri’s Fairway Thoroughbreds, five year-old Deep Impact mare City of Lights has been a work in progress for some time and has long threatened to win a stakes race.
Second up from a spell, the Joe Pride trained City of Lights appeared to handle the heavy track as she fought hard to the line for Chad Schofield to score a neck win over Tarshi in a thriller.
City of Lights has had five wins from 13 starts earning over $312,000 in prizemoney with the promise of more wins to come.
Joe Pride was relieved to get the Black Type win for a mare that is one of the most valuable in the country.
“It's extremely important and I've got to say, I've never had a horse with a pedigree like hers. I mean, it's a pedigree made in heaven, isn't it? You know, a half-sister to Winx by one of the best stallions (Deep Impact) ever to stand on the planet,” said Pride.
“So, pretty amazing and that doesn't guarantee they're going to be good horses, but she is a good horse.
“It’s nice to see her coming good as an older mare, which she's probably bred to do, but a massive win to add to her CV today.
“She sprinted really well at Randwick (First up) and the other day, I said to John (Camilleri) , 'I'd love to just give her a run before we get to Hawkesbury in case we get testing conditions’, and I think that run stood her in really good stead for today.
“Today is a big result, but the job’s not done yet. We'd love to maybe take her to Queensland, but certainly we're on the way.”
Foaled and raised at Segenhoe Stud after being concieved in Japan, City of Lights is the third stakes-winner from star producing stakes-winner Vegas Showgirl, who has had six foals to race and all are winners headed by the mighty Winx, Group III winner El Divino and now City of Lights.
Vegas Showgirl died in 2023 and has left behind the considerable legacy of seven daughters so expect to see a lot more action in this family in years to come.
