Horse racing world 'holds its breath' as superstar mare Winx unexpectedly lashes out ahead of finale

Winx kicks whilst being paraded following a trackwork session at Rosehill Gardens ahead of her final race. Photo / Getty

Superstar mare Winx on Thursday showed a side of her hardly ever seen in public before when she lashed out at a fence after a gallop at Rosehill ahead of her last race day start this weekend.

The incident, described on social media as "the moment the racing world held its breath", saw the world's best racehorse kick a fence with her hind legs near the exit enclosure after her final workout.

Moments earlier her Kiwi trainer Chris Waller had removed her ear muffs in full view of a strong media contingent.

Winx, who has won a record 32 consecutive stakes races, will line up for the last time at the A$4 million Gr 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) on Saturday.

Social media users shared their surprise at the normally composed seven-year-old's behaviour.

The moment the racing world held its breath when @winx_horse lashed out and kicked a fence after her last workout ahead of the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at @royalrandwick on Saturday @RacenetTweets pic.twitter.com/SQpm8vULFd

— Clinton Payne (@ClintonPayne) April 10, 2019

Waller downplayed the incident, suggesting the media glare might have upset the champion mare.

"As you can see she's a horse, they're unpredictable but she's very well, very fresh, very bright and ready to go," Waller told racenet.com.au

"Obviously it's a big morning with a lot of cameras, people everywhere. They can get a bit fresh from time to time and she's certainly ready to explode. I shouldn't have taken the ear muffs off this morning. I just wanted to take them off so you could all see her without the earphones on but as soon as I did she could hear the clicking and the clacking [of cameras] so I probably shouldn't have done that."

Winx is the $1.06 favourite to extend her winning streak to 33 wins and record her 25th Group I success in her final race.