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Champion mare Winx really had the timing right when she recorded her 28th successive win in the G1 Turnbull Stakes at Flemington on Saturday.
The win came after her dam Vegas Showgirl was confirmed to be in foal at the 15-day stage to Japan’s champion sire Deep Impact at Paca Paca Farm on the northern island of Hokkaido.
There had been concerns that Vegas Showgirl, sent to Japan in August to be served by Deep Impact, could have been affected by the recent Hokkaido earthquake but the news was all good for the John Camilleri-owned daughter of Al Akbar.Vegas Showgirl travelled to Japan with two other mares owned by Camalleri’s Fairway Thoroughbreds, A Time of Julia (Redoute's Choice) and Peron (Husson) with all three served to southern hemisphere time by Deep Impact at the Shadai Stallion Station.
Vegas Showgirl missed to Exceed And Excel last year, opening the opportunity for her to be sent overseas for the Deep Impact mating.She is scheduled to return to Australia next month with A Time For Julia and Peron.
Vegas Showgirl and A Time for Julia were covered by Deep Impact without a hiccup but the massive September earthquake that claimed 41 lives hit on the day Peron was scheduled to be served.Peron was subsequently covered on a later date.
Camilleri had sent another of his mares Unassailed (Fastnet Rock) to Japan to be covered by Deep Impact last year and she recently delivered a filly foal.A pair of Deep Impact yearlings were offered at the Sydney Easter Sale this year and each made more than $1 million.
Camilleri will retain any Deep Impact fillies produced by Vegas Showgirl or his other mares but will sell any colts that result from their visit to Japan.Vegas Showgirl was a dual stakes winner and to date is the dam of seven foals that include the G3 winner El Divino (Snitzel) and the unraced $2.3 million yearling Boulder City (Snitzel), who is standing his first season at stud in Victoria in 2018.
Vegas Showgirl is a half-sister to the G3-placed Black Magic Maggie (Westminster) out of Vegas Magic (Voodoo Rhythm).Camilleri has a two-year-old Snitzel filly from Vegas Showgirl named Courchevel in training with Ciaron Maher and David Eustace at Caulfield and a yearling filly from the mare by Exceed And Excel.
• Winx attracted a crowd of 22,000 to Flemington on Saturday where her stunning performance to win her 21st Group One race brought them to their feet.The daughter of Street Cry and Vegas Showgirl was bred by Fairway Thoroughbreds and was sold on their behalf by Coolmore Stud at the 2013 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $230,000.
Her prizemoney is now close to $20 million from her 32 wins and three seconds in 38 starts.