Winx to wear earmuffs in bid for 19th straight win

Superstar mare Winx will face 11 rivals, albeit five of them from her own stable, as she bids to extend her winning streak to 19 in Saturday's Chelmsford Stakes over a mile at Randwick.

Trainer Chris Waller also revealed that Winx will have a new piece of equipment on her side in the Chelmsford – earmuffs.

"She wears the earmuffs in her trackwork and she works every day in them and it just helps block out the background noise," Waller told the Australian Daily Telegraph.

"She wears them at the races and we take them off as soon as she leaves the parade ring, but she will wear them in the Chelmsford. It's simply like wetsuit material. It blocks out 20 per cent of the sound and she will still hear 80 per cent."

Waller is also responsible for Who Shot Thebarman, Libran, Antonio Giuseppe, Sarrasin and Life Less Ordinary, giving him half of the 12-runner field in the Chelmsford.

Not among the Waller fleet is Foxplay, who came as close as any to snapping Winx's winning streak in the 7f Warwick Stakes last time, going down by a head. It is expected that the longer trip on Saturday will play more to Winx's strengths.

The run is the latest in Winx's build-up to another run in the Cox Plate, which she won so impressively last year by eight lengths from Hartnell. After Saturday, she is expected to run in the George Main Stakes and Craven Plate before returning to Moonee Valley in October.

Chelmsford Stakes card