Fastnet Rock’s champion daughter Via Sistina (IRE) is the best racehorse in the country and she showed us exactly why at Flemington Saturday when overcoming a heavy track and testing conditions to win the $3million Group I VRC Champions Stakes (200m) for the second year in a row.
Last year she did the Cox Plate/ Champions Stakes double and the evergreen mare repeated the achievement to the delight of racegoers, who had braved the arctic conditions.
Trained by Chris Waller and ridden by James McDonald, Via Sistina made it look easy, settling back in the pack and working into the race in her own good time.
All the way down the famed Flemington straight, Via Sistina continued to pick up pace and gain momentum before powering clear of her rivals to win by nearly three lengths over progressive Kiwi bred Zambardo, who ran the race of his life for second.
Chris Waller was thrilled to be a part of the Flemington Carnival grand finale
“Seeing the Sprint, the Mile and now this race, it's giving everyone an extra taste of the great horses. She was tough today. She went back from the draw, James didn't panic and it was awesome to see her in the straight,” he said.
Via Sistina joined the stable in 2024 and has gone from strength to strength.
" We were told she was a very good horse. Her international form was something special and it's rare for us to get a really high class horse down here like her and she was just maturing,” he said.
“We've got her at the right time. They did an amazing job with her over there looking after her. She was a big, raw mare and don't worry about her age. She's just matured.
"They are great owners, Yulong. They're sportsmen, they love their racing. I knew not to ask because I knew they'd have liked her to race here. It was a simple as that.
"They have given the racing public something to cheer for and what a great day it's been with Ceolwulf, Giga Kick and now Via Sistina. Three serious horses on an amazing day of racing.
"They're tough horses and when you look after them, they look after you."
James McDonald has a great record on the mare having won nine G1 races on the champion.
“She's an absolute pleasure to ride. How good are they(Waller team) ? They just prep them up beautifully, Waller and his team. She was cool today, real cool,” he said.
"She started her prep in amazing fashion. Certain things didn't go her way, but when you're riding a dual Cox Plate winner on Champions Day and the last G1 of a fantastic four days, it is very special.
"It felt like every man and his dog was on her today but she duly obliged and the race couldn't have panned out any better for us, to be fair.
"It was just like riding a trial early and letting her blend in at the six (hundred), four, two, and that's all she did."
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 16 wins and nine placings from 29 starts with prizemoney just topping $19.4million 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 passed away this year at Coolmore Australia and his place on the roster has been taken by his promising young son Acrobat.
