Stewart was the underbidder on the filly and told Inglis chief executive Mark Webster,who was bidding via phone,he was out when bidding reached $10 million.
“He asked me to be strong,” Webster said. “When it got to $10[million],that was it. He said,‘That’s it. She can have it’. He’s gone back to a party going in Lexington.”
The sale will ensure the filly remains in Australia,with Kepitis – daughter of Bob Ingham,the poultry magnate who co-founded the famous Ingham Bloodstock racing and breeding operation with brother Jack Ingham – essentially buying out her two fellow part-owners in Winx.
“I knew Debbie loved the horse and wanted the horse,but I didn’t know how strong she would be,” Webster said.
“It’s the most outstanding result. It’s the most expensive horse our company has sold and has ever been sold at auction in the southern hemisphere. I thank all the owners of Winx for supporting the sale and trusting us with the filly.”
Inglis had a security guard monitor the filly in her stall around the clock in the lead-up to the sale,which dominates the Australian horse-trading market alongside Gold Coast’s Magic Millions.
A security guard watches over the Winx filly before dawn on the morning of her sale at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Winx won a world record 25 group 1 races as part of a 33-race unbeaten streak to finish her career in 2019. She’s the only horse to win the Cox Plate four times.
Winx lost her first foal in 2020 after complications during birth,but is confirmed in foal to top stallion Snitzel and is due to give birth to her second progeny later this year.
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“It’s no secret Winx lost her first foal and she nearly died,” said Coolmore Australia boss Tom Magnier,whose draft offered the filly for sale. “To be fair to[strapper] Paddy Sheehan and the whole team at Scone Equine,they did an unbelievable job saving[Winx].
“It’s fitting this filly is going to the Kepitis family,and it’s the perfect story. When you come up against Debbie,you need to have will and determination.
“I knew she would make a high figure because somebody’s buying history. It’s a collector’s item and there’s only one person who deserved today - and that was Debbie.”
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