On a day named after his champion race mare, Winx (Street Cry {Ire}), it was Chris Waller’s day at Randwick with the trifecta in the Gr.1 Winx S. won by Via Sistena (Ire) (Fastnet Rock).
With six runners in the Gr.1 Winx S. there were sharp odds around trainer Chris Waller winning the race named for his Champion mare Winx (Street Cry {Ire}) and he delivered with the trifecta. Zougotcha (Zoustar) ridden by Tommy Berry led down the centre of the track and was just nailed on the line by Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock) who flew along the rails for Kerrin McEvoy.
Out wide, Fangirl (Sebring) showed she had recovered from her scary injury last season to close late for jockey James McDonald but couldn’t quite get there in time, finishing in third.
“Obviously, she’s a very smart horse and I’m privileged to be training horses like her,” Waller said. “It was a beautiful ride from Kerrin (McEvoy). He didn’t go around a horse, saved ground and had plenty of horse topping the famous Randwick rise. She was strong all the way to the line.”
Waller will now split up the three into separate targets with Via Sistena heading to the Gr.1 Makybe Diva S. before the Gr.1 WS Cox Plate.
“The plan was the Makybe Diva in three weeks. I’ve just got to split them up a bit now – all three could have won a Group 1 race if their stablemates weren’t there, so I don’t want to waste too many. Via Sistina is probably our number one seed for the Cox Plate, unless Fangirl wins like she did in the King Charles (S.) again.”
Now the winner of two of her three Australian starts (all in Group 1 company), Via Sistina took her career record to seven wins from 16 starts with earnings over $3.3 million and she is another super mare owned by Yulong Investments. She was purchased by Evergreen Equine at the 2023 Tattersalls December Mare Sale for 2.7 million gns (AU$5.5 million), and prior to that was a 5000 gns (AU$10,200) yearling purchase by Stephen Hillen Bloodstock at the 2019 Tattersalls December Yearling Sale.
Conceived during one of Australia Champion Sire Fastnet Rock’s eleven seasons in the Northern Hemisphere, she is one of his 193 stakes winners which includes 43 Group 1 winners, and this was her third Group 1 win after the Gr.1 Pretty Polly S in England, and last season’s Gr.1 Ranvet S.
Fastnet Rock has crossed well with Galileo mares producing Group 1 winners Age Of Fire, Intricately (Ire), Magicool, Personal, Pizza Bianca (USA), Qualify (Ire), Rivet Delight (Ire), Unforgotten, Zhukova (Ire), and Via Sistena (Ire).
Via Sistena’s unraced dam Nigh (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) has only two winners from five to race, and she is a half-sister to Champion 3-Year-Old Sprinter in Great Britain and dual Group 1 winner Kingsgate Native (Ire) (Mujadil {USA}) who beat War Artist (Orpen {USA}), Sir Gerry (USA) (Carson City {USA}), and Takeover Target (Celtic Swing {GB}) in the Gr.1 Royal Ascot Golden Jubilee S.
This article was written by Renee Geelen for TTR AusNZ.
