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Source: racenet.com.au
Champion Via Sistina became the first eight-year-old mare in 80 years to win a Group 1 race, she has now won 10 majors at racing’s highest level and earned more than $13m prizemoney after her comeback win at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
Winning seems easy for Chris Waller’s super mare who is so good she is starting to overtake racing history – but her triumphant return in the $1m Winx Stakes (1400m) was anything but routine.
For a stride or two, Via Sistina looked vulnerable when challenged by Aeliana in the charge to the finish but as champions do, she rallied and found a way to win.
Foxplay, who was raced by Denise Martin’s Star Thoroughbreds which owns Aeliana, nearly caused a boilover that day before Winx ran her down near the line.
Via Sistina’s winning margin was similar to Winx when she held off Aeliana to win by a neck.
Via Sistina, the $2.80 favourite and ridden by James McDonald, went back-to-back in the Winx Stakes, defeating stablemate Aeliana ($6.50) with stayer Arapaho ($26) running a blinder for third, 1½ lengths away.
Waller, who has now trained nine winners of the Winx Stakes, said Via Sistina will follow the same spring program as 2024 which culminated with her wins in the Cox Plate and Champions Stakes.
“We will give Via Sistina three or four days out at the farm, and see how she comes through this race,” Waller said.
“Then we will plot her path towards the Cox Plate. It’s great to see her back winning – she is probably 20kg heavier and looks better.”
Via Sistina, the first eight-year-old mare to win a Group 1 race since Tranquil Star in the 1945 Mackinnon Stakes and only the seventh mare to win at least 10 majors, gave the all-conquering Waller-McDonald trainer-jockey combination their 48th big-race success together.
Waller and McDonald are already second in the all-time trainer-jockey rankings and closing fast on the record of Tommy Smith and George Moore with 54 Group 1 wins.
McDonald said Via Sistina “has come back as good as she left off last time”.
“The deeper in her prep she goes, the better she will go,” McDonald said.
“It is good signs ahead that she has returned in such good order with great enthusiasm. But gee, the second horse (Aeliana) was great.
“I could see the shadow and I couldn’t think what it would be. I was thinking I have quickened up beautifully and she gave me a hell of a fright. If I went another furlong I would still win by a neck anyway.”
Aeliana’s jockey Jason Collett had nothing but praise for the comeback effort of the ATC Australian Derby winner.
“It was a great return by my mare,” Collett said.
“She was a bit fresh and tardy out of the gates which didn’t help but she made a race of it with the winner and will only be improved by the run.”
For Waller, his overwhelming emotion was relief after he had concerns about the Randwick meeting going ahead due to the heavy track conditions.
But the Hall of Fame trainer left the course with another Winx Stakes win, Via Sistina picking up where she left off last season, Autumn Glow maintaining her unbeaten record with a brilliant return in the Group 3 Toy Show Quality (1100m), and Lazzura impressive first-up in the Group 3 Show County Quality (1200m).
“I did,” Waller said when asked of his reservations about the Randwick meeting.
“Just for their (horses) safety but full credit to the (ATC track) team. In fact I didn’t have any doubt that we could run today.
“My doubt was where are we after today for two weeks’ time or four weeks’ time.
“The curators Michael Wood, who does a fantastic job, Nevesh Ramdhani, they have an awesome team under them.
“We went and walked the track before and it is safe. They have a great track.
“They have to have Via Sistina not just winning today, they need Via Sistina being second up, third up and the horses behind her. They have to come through the race. Today is like a really tough grand final first-up.”
Waller’s point was that some Saturday meetings in the mid-winter months should be moved away from Randwick or Rosehill to protect Sydney’s two best racetracks for the spring carnival.
It is understood racing’s power-brokers are listening.