Sunshine Coast Turf Club CEO John Miller believes this year's feature three-year-old event at his club is shaping as an exciting race.
“With the Winx Guineas, it is the original Sunshine Coast Guineas that we renamed a couple of years ago, after Winx started her magical run of victories in, here at the Sunshine Coast,” Miller said.
“We love to have that association with the great mare.
“Apart from her, that has been a number of other smart horses who have won this race and gone on to win Group 1 runs, there is a few ones over the recent years.
“Hopefully we can see another star emerge here on Saturday.”
Ahead of the second edition of the newly named Winx Guineas, Miller thinks there is increased buzz and excitement around the race after adding the champion mare’s name to the title.
Originally from the Atherton Tablelands in the state’s north, Duncan laughs that he should have made the move to Caloundra many a year before he actually did around a decade ago.
“It has turned out good, when I left home, I never thought it would be like this,” Duncan said.
“I thought I would come down for three months as we had a few horses that were good enough to win in Brisbane, which they did and they kept winning and we have never left since.
“It has progressed from there and now we have 50 horses on our books, we just need more stables to fit them in.
“We have got our own farm that we have got horses at now that are spelling.
“It is a great place to train horses here at the Sunshine Coast.”
Dzsenifer’s ownership group is a nod to Duncan’s FNQ roots, with his children, some of which are based in the north, in the connections, as are the Piccone brothers – John and Peter.
The Piccone family are long-time contributors to the racing community in FNQ, serving on the committee of the Cairns Jockey Club as well as breeding and owning several gallopers over the years.
There are also some Sunshine Coast-based people in the ownership group of the promising filly, ensuring there will be happy connections from right around the state if she can salute come Saturday afternoon.
Duncan feels the field assembled for the 2021 edition of the Winx Guineas is a stronger one that Wapiti beat 12 months ago but is confident his filly is in with a big chance.
“It is the same sort of field as the other week at Ipswich and all being fair, she probably should have won last start,” he said.
“She just has to beat the same horses, if she can draw a nice barrier and with a bit of luck, she will be hard to beat.”
Being the daughter of Scissor Kick, Dzsenifer is named after Dzsenifer Marozsán, a German professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for OL Reign of the American National Women's Soccer League as well as the German national team.