McEvoy chasing first Cox Plate win

Kerrin McEvoy has yet to get the photos but the day he got to take champion Winx for a spin around Rosehill remains clear in his mind.

It was March this year and the champion mare’s regular jockey Hugh Bowman was in Melbourne riding at the Australian Cup meeting at Flemington.

McEvoy took the world’s best horse on turf around in a race day gallop seven days before she claimed the Group One George Ryder Stakes by more than seven lengths.

Although only a gallop, it was still a thrill for the jockey who rides Folkswood against her in Saturday’s Cox Plate at Moonee Valley.

“It was great to have a little spin on her,” McEvoy said.

“I haven’t yet got some photos of the gallop but I will be getting that just to show the grandkids one day.”

McEvoy was immediately taken by how Winx was even bigger and stronger than she looked and how balanced she was when she moved.

“She’s very balanced,” he said.

“And you can look at her, but then when you’re on her she’s bigger and stronger again.”

Another photo McEvoy does not yet have is one of him winning a Cox Plate.

He has 63 Group One wins to his name including two Melbourne Cups, a Caulfield Cup and a Golden Slipper but Australia’s premier weight-for-age race has eluded McEvoy.

Earlier this month he steered Redzel to win the inaugural $10 million Everest at Randwick, the richest turf race in the world.

McEvoy gets his latest Cox Plate chance on the Charlie Appleby-trained English visitor Folkswood.

But a formidable opponent awaits – Winx.

She is the $1.15 favourite to win her third Cox Plate.

“There’s no denying the fact that we’ve got a mountain to climb,” McEvoy said..

He said Folkswood was “quite stylish” when he rode him to victory in the recent Cranbourne Cup and believes he can run well.

“He put up a good performance with a strong last five furlongs at Cranbourne,” McEvoy said.

“The team have left a little bit in the tank so there’s nice improvement coming into Saturday.

“You’ve got to go out with the mindset that it’s a horse race and anything can happen.”