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).
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.
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.''
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.
