Horse Named Winx, A (ATOM Study Guide)

A Horse Named Winx tells the story of one of our greatest athletes.

At the height of her fame, Winx became known as the ‘people’s horse’ – an Australian icon who transcended her sport – joining the realm of fellow legends like Cathy Freeman and Sir Donald Bradman.

Although the world’s greatest racehorse retired in 2019, she’s still breaking records. Winx’s only foal sold this year at auction for a world record A$10 million. During her reign, huge crowds descended on racetracks across Australia to witness the Phar Lap of the modern era pull off the impossible – thirty-three straight wins – a feat unlikely to ever be repeated. Winx’s final race was watched by a world television audience in its millions and as the legendary sports commentator Bruce McAvaney succinctly noted, ‘We’ve never had a horse mean so much to so many people.’

From the wilful foal who was hard to catch, to a plain leggy teenager who kept to herself and turned her back on affection, Winx became a front-page phenomenon and in the process swept her trainer Chris Waller and jockey Hugh Bowman onto the world stage and into the middle of a ‘horseracing fairytale’ that tested them to the limit.

‘I only now feel like I am ready to tell the story of what we went through,’ says Chris Waller, the perfectionist mastermind and architect behind Winx’s explosive world record-winning sequence.

A Horse Named Winx goes behind the sports headlines and victories to reveal the unforgettable spirit of a champion who away from the racetrack faced her biggest battle and once again refused to be beaten.

Curriculum Links:

'A Horse Named Winx' is suitable for secondary students in Years 7–12 in the following learning areas:

• Civics and Citizenship
• English
• History
• Media
• Health and Physical Education

The story of Winx and her success provides a focus for inquiry and cross-curriculum projects in these subjects that explore Australian sporting icons and the role that sport plays in Australian society.

A Horse Named Winx is also a valuable resource for students undertaking certificate and tertiary courses in Animal Care, Equine Studies and Sport and Recreation.