Champion mare Via Sistina retired and set for a date with Dubawi
Via Sistina (Fastnet Rock), Yulong’s multiple Group 1-winning champion, has been retired and will return to the UK to be covered by Darley’s leading stallion Dubawi (Dubai Millennium).
The mare’s trainer, Chris Waller, confirmed the news on Sunday, bringing an end to an illustrious career that yielded 16 victories, highlighted by 12 Group 1 wins and more than $19.4 million in prize-money.
“Via Sistina has performed consistently well across many seasons and has become a talking point around the world, not only within racing, but sport in general,” Waller said in an extensive statement released on social media.
“We feel that following her second Cox Plate win and her impressive victory in the Champion Stakes, she hasn’t come back this preparation as her normal, highly energetic self.”
Bred by Laundry Cottage Stud, Via Sistina was originally purchased for a modest 5,000gns from Book 3 of the Tattersalls December Yearling Sale in 2019. She went on to win five races in the UK for Joseph Tuite and George Boughey, including the 2023 edition of the Pretty Polly Stakes (Gr 1, 1m 2f) for the latter trainer. Later that year, she was sold to Yulong for 2,700,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale.
The daughter of Fastnet Rock (Danehill) exploded onto the Australian scene with an impressive victory in the Group 1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) and went on to dominate the country’s middle-distance ranks, winning a further ten Group 1 races, including back-to-back Cox Plates (Gr 1, 2040m) at Moonee Valley.
Waller continued: “I would like to thank Via Sistina for the journey she has taken us all on, from her first-up wins over short distances to her back-to-back Cox Plate victories, which is something we will always remember. She is tough, determined and a beautiful mare to work with.
“I would like to congratulate Mr Zhang, Jun and April Zhang, Sam Fairgray and the team at Yulong for their support, and congratulate them on the success of Via Sistina’s racing career and her management.
“We look forward to seeing what the future holds for Via Sistina in the breeding barn and beyond.”
Yulong described Via Sistina as “a horse of a lifetime” and confirmed she would embark on her second career as a broodmare.
“The closing of one chapter leads to the opening of another, and while there is a tinge of sadness that we will not see her on the racetrack again, we are excited to follow Via Sistina’s journey as she embarks on motherhood,” the statement read.
“In the coming weeks, she will return to the UK and be prepared for a date with Darley’s pre-eminent global sire sensation, Dubawi.
“To say she has been a horse of a lifetime for Mr Zhang, his family and the entire Yulong team would sell the daughter of Fastnet Rock short. From the moment she stepped onto Australian turf for the first time in the 2024 Ranvet Stakes at Rosehill, Via Sistina has been nothing short of phenomenal, carrying the green and white silks to 11 standout Group 1 victories.
“She epitomises the dream for many in the sport of kings: a true underdog sold for a mere 5,000gns as a yearling, who ultimately transcended the sport, accumulating just shy of $19.5 million from 29 starts and capturing the hearts and minds of all who witnessed her in full flight.
“Our thanks go to Chris Waller and his exceptional team, who have cared for and nurtured this great mare since her arrival on Australian shores, regular jockey James McDonald, who partnered her to nine of her top-level wins, and all who have contributed to her success over the past two seasons.”