All eyes were on The Valley on Saturday, where the dominant Via Sistina (IRE) (Fastnet Rock) put on a performance worthy of Chris Waller’s biggest stable star.
Via Sistina delivers “Winx-like” performance in the Cox Plate
There was a lot of breaths being held since Tuesday morning, where Via Sistina (IRE) (Fastnet Rock) and James McDonald parted ways in front of the Breakfast With The Best crowd at the Valley, and all of them became a collective sigh of relief on Saturday when the 7-year-old mare stormed clear in the same home straight to secure a 8l victory over a quality Gr.1 Cox Plate field.
Japanese raider Prognosis (JPN) (Deep Impact {JPN}) overtook a tiring Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) on the turn, but could not make any ground on Chris Waller’s star mare, with Broadsiding (Too Darn Hot {GB}) battling gamely into third place a further 2l behind.
Rising out of the saddle with 50 metres still to go, James McDonald held his whip aloft as the mare, now a five-time Group 1 winner, sailed across the line to deliver him his third Cox Plate in a row.
“I just wanted to keep it smooth, and she loved it,” he said. “She won like Winx, she blended, and, gee, it’s just a phenomenal performance. It’s pretty surreal.”
He had thought that Tuesday’s incident had snuffed his chances for the weekend, “I think there was a fantastic picture there when I popped myself up and looked and watched her gallop away, and I think if looks could tell a story, we were stuffed.”
But Via Sistina showed they were far from “stuffed”, bolting home to hand the Kiwi jockey his 100th career Group 1 win in the process.
Waller was understandably quite emotional following the performance. It was his fifth win in the event, following his former star Winx’s (Street Cry {IRE}) four successive victories. Via Sistina’s time of 2:01.07 carves nearly two seconds off the great mare’s 2017 record of 2:02.94.
Gallery: Images courtesy of The Image Is Everything – from TTRAusNZ
“It was a big week, but I’ve just had full support from the owners, my staff, all the team, Moonee Valley,” he said. “It’s just been overwhelming. There’s not been any negativity, only positive vibes. I’m proud of her, so proud of her. There’s probably ten key factors, and it’s not anything else except common sense, simple as that.
“We never lost faith and just just followed our instincts. We’ve had to do these things before. You just had to forget what happened on Tuesday, she’s a good horse and it was my job to prove it.”
Vin Cox, general manager of the Yulong operation, was effusive with his praise for the mare.
“You don’t ever expect to win a race the stature of a Cox Plate in that fashion,” he said. “Course-record time and she blew it apart. It was stunning. So happy for the boss (Mr Zhang) and his family, who put a lot into the game.
“Chris (Waller) was always very confident and horses that get to this level are pretty tough by definition, so they are going to cop setbacks. Not that it was a setback as such, but it was not the plan.”
Via Sistina’s unraced dam Nigh (IRE) (Galileo {IRE}) is a half-sister to GB Champion 3YO Sprinter Kingsgate Native (IRE) (Mujadil {USA}) and Listed-placed Vanishing Grey (IRE) (Verglas {IRE}), dam of Listed Prix Millkom winner First Contact (IRE) (Dark Angel {IRE}), who also ran third in the Gr.1 Jebel Hatta S.. Her sire Fastnet Rock was pensioned from stud duties at Coolmore Stud earlier this year, having finished the 2023/24 season as Australia’s leading broodmare sire.
Bred by Laundry Cottage Stud Farm, she was originally a 5000gns (AU$10,300) purchase for Stephen Hillen Bloodstock at the 2016 Tattersalls December Yearling Sale. Four years and a win in the Gr.1 Pretty Polly S. later, she was offered at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale, where Evergreen Equine purchased her on behalf of Yulong Investments for 2,700,000gns (AU$5.5 million). Connections of Lucky Vega (IRE), who shuttles to Yulong’s Victorian stud farm, acquired her dam at the same sale for 200,000gns ($412,000).
Gallery: Images courtesy of The Image Is Everything – from TTRAusNZ
