Winning Return for the Best in Australia - Via Sistina

Tara Madgwick - Saturday August 23

Set to be crowned Australia’s Horse of the Year for last season, the mighty Fastnet Rock mare Via Sistina (IRE) returned on a rain soaked track at Randwick on Saturday to win the $1million Group I ATC Winx Stakes (1400m).

Via Sistina wins the G1 Winx  image Bradley Photography

The prospect of a heavy 10 was less than ideal, but champion trainer Chris Waller elected to start and the mare did the rest with regular partner James McDonald in the saddle.

Advertisement

Via Sistina momentarily looked as though her stablemate Aeliana may get the better of her in a driving finish, but her champion qualities came to the fore and she pulled clear to win by half a length.

Waller has now trained nine winners of the Winx Stakes and said Via Sistina will follow the same spring program as 2024 which earned her victories in the Cox Plate and Champions Stakes at Flemington.

"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 back as a G1 winner in a new season - image Bradley Photography

James McDonald was relieved to get the win in what tunred out to be a great race..

"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.''

The current superstar performer in the stellar Yulong racing stable, Via Sistina is a fascinating horse as she is the original ugly duckling that grew into a swan.

Her original owners Stephen and Becky Hillen purchased her as a yearling for 5,000 guineas at the Tattersalls December Sale and they were over the moon when she sold at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale in 2023 fetching 2.7million guineas to the bid of Yulong to be the second highest priced mare at the sale.

Via Sistina has the overall record of 14 wins and seven placings from 25 starts with prizemoney just topping $13million and is the best of two winners from Nigh, an unraced half-sister by Galileo to dual Group I winning sprinter Kingsgate Native.

She is the greatest of all time by her sire Fastnet Rock, who is now enjoying a well earned retirement at Coolmore Australia and his place on the roster has been taken by his promising young son Acrobat.

Advertisment

Race Result - Winx Stakes Gr1 1400m

Randwick Track: Heavy(10) Time: 1:26.02
1
Via Sistina
- 8m Fastnet Rock (AUS) x Nigh (IRE) (Galileo (IRE))
Tnr: C J Waller Rdr: J B Mc Donald 57
Fastnet Rock
2
0.4
Aeliana
- 4m Castelvecchio (AUS) x Temolie (AUS) (Star Witness (AUS))
Tnr: C J Waller Rdr: J R Collett 56.5
NZB Karaka Book 1 $180,000
Seller: Rich Hill Stud
Buyer: Star Thoroughbreds
3
1.8
Arapaho
- 9g Lope De Vega (IRE) x Alzubra (GB) (Dansili (GB))
Tnr: Bjorn Baker Rdr: Rachel King 59
4
2.5
Ceolwulf
- 5g Tavistock (NZ) x Las Brisas (GB) (Shamardal (USA))
Tnr: Joseph Pride Rdr: C Schofield 59
5
2.8
Gringotts
- 6g Per Incanto (USA) x Miss Bluebell (NZ) (Savabeel (AUS))
Tnr: C Maher Rdr: Tommy Berry 59
6
4.9
War Eternal
- 7g Pierro (AUS) x Aleria (AUS) (Fastnet Rock (AUS))
Tnr: Bjorn Baker Rdr: Dylan Gibbons 59
7
5.5
Robusto
- 6g Churchill (IRE) x She's Clean (AUS) (Redoute's Choice (AUS))
Tnr: Bjorn Baker Rdr: J Parr 59
8
6.7
Full Count Felicia
- 7m War Front (USA) x Claire De Lune (IRE) (Galileo (IRE))
Tnr: C J Waller Rdr: A Hyeronimus 57
9
7.7
Diamond Diesel
- 9g Mossman (AUS) x Malacca Cane (AUS) (Big Brown (USA))
Tnr: Adam Duggan Rdr: A Adkins 59
10
7.9
Lindermann
- 6g Lonhro (AUS) x Self Esteem (AUS) (Stratum (AUS))
Tnr: C J Waller Rdr: N Rawiller 59
11
9.1
Light Infantry Man
- 7g Fast Company (IRE) x Lights On Me (GB) (Kyllachy (GB))
Tnr: C Maher Rdr: Ethan Brown 59
More Reading...
Via Sistina Dominant in G1 Champions Stakes
Fresh from a virtuoso performance to win the Group I MVRC Cox Plate in track record time, Yulong owned Fastnet Rock mare Via Sistina (IRE) turned on the afterburners again at Flemington on Saturday to win the Group I VRC Champions Stakes (2000m) by nearly three lengths.
Invincible Colt Wins $1million G2 Callander Presnell for Godolphin
Progressive I Am Invincible colt Ohope won the $1million ATC Tapp Craig (1400m) at his previous start, however was not rewarded officially with Black Type for that result, but he did achieve stakes-winner status at Randwick on Saturday when scoring a determined win over quality colt Rivellino in the $1million ATC Callander Presnell (1600m).
Stefi Magnetica Smashes Through $7m Mark
Already a dual Group1 winner, Bjorn Baker’s 5yo All Too Hard mare Stefi Magnetica added the $2m Group 2 ATC The Invitational (1400m) to her impressive record, with her earnings smashing through the $7m mark for her ownership group headed by the Cunningham family.
Blueblood Lonhro Colt Wins G1 Spring Champion
At the start of August we ran a story about the 3YO’s that were entered for this year Cox Plate and aside from the usual suspects there were some ‘Cox Plate dreamers’ and one of them was unraced Lonhro colt Attica, who capped his meteoric rise to fame with a thrilling victory in the $2million Group I ATC Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on Saturday.
G2 McEwen Stakes To Jigsaw - Fifth Black Type Victory
A previous Group 2 winner at Moonee Valley a few years back, Jigsaw’s connections would’ve headed into Saturday’s Group 2 MVRC McEwen Stakes (1200m) with a level of confidence despite tackling last start Group 1 MVRC Manikato Stakes winner Charm Stone.
Via Sistina Dazzles in Record Breaking G1 Queen Elizabeth
Everything about Via Sistina (IRE) is impressive – from her unique physique to her giant stride to her unshakeable serenity – and the daughter of Fastnet Rock produced another virtuoso performance at Randwick on Saturday to win the $5million Group I ATC Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) in race record time and very nearly course record time.
Via Sistina Leads Waller Trifecta in G1 Verry Elleegant Stakes
The Group I $1million ATC Verry Elleegant Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on Saturday was always going to be won by a Chris Waller trained runner when talented gelding Ceolwulf was scratched on the morning of the race and it was the favourite Via Sistina (IRE), who did best in a titanic battle to shade her stablemates Fangirl and Lindermann.
Via Sistina Joins Two Group One Legends
Via Sistina is certainly in rare air and if you want another stat to put her in perspective – yesterday’s Winx Stakes win saw her become one of only three horses in the last 40 years to win eight Group One races in a 12-month period.
2025 Cox Plate Result - Fastnet Rock and Waller Quinella
A genuine champion sire should be able to produce the horses that win the very best races in the country in which they stand and the late great Fastnet Rock have us a demonstration of that when his high class Northern Hemisphere bred offspring Via Sistina (IRE) and Buckaroo (GB) fought out an epic finish to the $6million Group I MVRC WS Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
Lindermann Cracks $4million in Earnings
Gelded after losing form following his tenacious victory in the 2023 Group I ATC Rosehill Guineas, the Chris Waller trained Lindemann has embraced life as a gelding and has been on fire this spring racking up a series of lucrative wins including the $750,000 Group III ATC Craven Plate (1800m) at Randwick on Saturday.