History maker
Via Sistina lands titanic Cox Plate as Waller and McDonald rewrite record books
Via Sistina (Fastnet Rock) became the oldest mare to land the Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) when she joined an elite list of dual winners in a fittingly classic edition of the race in its last staging at Moonee Valley before its redevelopment.
In a Cox Plate for the record books, the Yulong mare and Buckaroo (Fastnet Rock) brought their retired sire the quinella as they fought a titanic struggle over the last 100 metres before Via Sistina – who’d looked beaten several times – lifted to score by 0.1 lengths.
It made Chris Waller the first trainer to quinella the great race since 1961, when Brian Courtney’s pair Dhaulagiri (High Peak) and New Statesmen (Smokey Eyes) filled the first two placings.
James McDonald became the first rider to win four Cox Plates in succession aboard three different horses – Anamoe (Street Boss), Romantic Warrior (Acclamation) and Via Sistina twice. McDonald’s quartet sits him among a group of riders one behind the race’s most successful jockey, Darby Munro.
In the last race before the famed Moonee Valley circuit is bulldozed and reconfigured, Via Sistina became the 15th multiple winner of the Cox Plate, joining horses including four-time queen Winx (Street Cry), triple hero Kingston Town (Bletchingly), plus other dual victors including Phar Lap (Night Raid), So You Think (High Chaparral) – who died last week – Northerly (Serheed), Tobin Bronze (Arctic Explorer) and Sunline (Desert Sun), the great New Zealand mare to whom, McDonald said, Via Sistina deserves comparison.
Expat Kiwis Waller and McDonald are now the modern kings of the race, with Waller now having won it six times with just the two great mares, Winx and Via Sistina, who’s now won 13 stakes races, including 11 at Group 1 level.
The reigning Horse of the Year started a steady $2.25 favourite in the eight-runner field, but had come in under a cloud, having managed moderate – by her standards – thirds at her two previous starts in the Makybe Diva Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) and Turnbull Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m).
But she looked back to her majestic best in the yard, benefitting from that first 2000-metre hit-out of the preparation, and indeed on the track.
McDonald settled the mare just worse than midfield behind a strong pace set by Light Infantry Man (Fast Company), with another revitalised Yulong mare – Treasurethe Moment (Alabama Express) behind him.
Soon into the school side, McDonald began his run as the pace heated up. Via Sistina neared the lead as the widest of four runners together, as Treasurethe Moment surged towards the front on her inside.
Treasurethe Moment kicked to a near two-length lead nearing the turn as Via Sistina came after her, but under hard riding. Eventually Treasurethe Moment began to tire in the straight as Via Sistina pressed for the lead, only to see Buckaroo come with his run down the outside to threaten a boilover.
But while he looked like going past the great mare, Via Sistina drew on all her reserves of courage to score by a nose.
Buckaroo – the seven-year-old who like Via Sistina was bred from one of Fastnet Rock’s (Danehill) many shuttles to Ireland – was brave in defeat, at $16.
Treasurethe Moment was a 1.6 length third at $5.50 – giving Yulong two of the three placegetters, putting a bright end to a week in which it attracted headlines over the continuing absence of the group’s founder, Zhang Yuesheng, from Australia.
Aeliana (Castelvecchio), Waller’s third runner in the race, didn’t figure at $8, while $3.80 second favourite Antino (Redwood) settled last and stayed there, in a baffling non-performance.
Renowned for his emotions after momentous wins such as these, Waller fought back tears as he reflected on “a classic Cox Plate”.
“James had to get going early and everyone could see him. He was five wide turning for home. She was great and Treasurethe Moment was awesome and gave it something to chase,” said Waller, after his 185th Group 1 win.
“And Buckaroo that was … I’m glad Via won and Buckaroo, he’s run out of his skin.”
Waller said Via Sistina had been tracking well at the stable despite having her colours lowered in her past two starts, while admitting he had to remind himself to stay calm during her lead-up.
“I know she hasn’t won her last two runs but all the data suggests she’s flying and once they set those benchmarks, providing the horse is healthy and well, you know they’re going to get somewhere close to it,” he said.
“There’s been a few of those ‘don’t panic, don’t change anything, don’t think about anything’ [moments]. Let the horses do the talking.”
McDonald, after Group 1 win number 121, said he’d been pleased in the run before having to ask Via Sistina for her all in the straight.
“It was funny because she began well. I thought, ‘this is beautiful’. I thought I was in a great spot,” he said.
“Zac Lloyd [on Neopitism] was jostling for a position. Came back, she raced a little bit keen for a bit but her incredible will to win shone through there and she’s a champion racehorse.
“I’m so proud of her. She deserved to be in the same breath as Sunline and those sort of horses with two Cox Plates.
“You know what? I’m just rapt that it was a proper run Cox Plate. That’s what Cox Plates are all about. Best horse shone through and she deserves all she gets.”
McDonald said there was an element of “relief” to the win, on such a special occasion.
“I love this place, I’m blessed to ride champion racehorses, blessed to be a part of a champion stable, and she was trained to the minute,” he said. “Waller’s a genius.”
After rain had fallen during the afternoon, Via Sistina’s time of 2:05.03 was well outside her record 2:01.07 set last year.
Buckaroo’s rider Mark Zahra said: “He was courageous. Followed the winner everywhere but I just never got in front at any stage. She just finds a head the minute you come up to her. She’s a good mare but he ran well.”
Treasurethe Moment’s jockey Damian Lane said he was proud of the mare, who’s come back from a mild bout of colic early this campaign before underwhelming seconds at her previous two starts.
“She was super. Very proud of the horse, proud of Matty [Laurie, trainer] and his team for getting her back to where she is today,” he said.
“Just unfortunately Nepotism was put into the race early and forced my hand. I had to ask for her a bit earlier than what was ideal and she obviously put a good margin on them on the corner but that early move had a toll late, so she did a great job.”
Bred in Ireland but by British interests with the quintessentially English-sounding name of Laundry Cottage Stud, Via Sistina becomes the first officially eight-year-old mare to win the Cox Plate, though she’s still seven-and-a-half biologically.
She’s the fifth and very much the best of seven named foals out of the unraced Nigh (Galileo). Suggesting major influence from Fastnet Rock in their mating during his shuttling career to Ireland, only one other of Nigh’s offspring has won, and that is Fougere (Bated Breath), who claimed only a Nottingham handicap in 19 starts.
Via Sistina is another example of Fastnet’s potency when crossed with daughters of Coolmore’s perennial breed-shaping sire Galileo (Sadler’s Wells), with the mare among the nicks 29 stakes winners and she is also one of 11 Group 1 scorers bred on the cross.
The yearling Via Sistina was sold by agent Jamie Railton to Stephen Hillen Bloodstock for £5,000 from Book 3 of Tattersalls December Yearling Sale in 2019. From those inauspicious beginnings, she was bought by Evergreen Equine at Tattersalls’ December Mares Sale in 2023 for 2,700,000gns, from the draft of Ireland’s Grove Stud, before coming to Australia to race in the Yulong green and white.
Nigh now has a three-year-old filly yet to race called Via Sienna (Bated Breath), and last year had a colt by Too Darn Hot (Dubawi).