Via Sistina right for WFA Cox Plate challenge
Champion trainer Chris Waller says something would have to go terribly wrong for Via Sistina to not take her place in the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
Via Sistina returned to The Valley on Thursday to wash away any mental scars she may have had following her mishap at ‘Breakfast With The Best’ on Tuesday morning where she dumped jockey James McDonald before completing three circuits of the track.
A morning at the beach of Wednesday and sessions with a horse physio had shown Waller Via Sistina had taken no harm from Tuesday’s escapade, but the champion trainer wanted to put everyone’s mind at rest with a return visit to The Valley.
“When something goes wrong you then need to work on what you can do to counteract it and obviously that is less work because she had done plenty of work on Tuesday morning,” Waller told the Moonee Valley Racing Club.
“Watching her body language, everything has gone perfectly well.
“She was at the beach Wednesday morning and this morning we brought her to Moonee Valley just for confidence, nice and easy, from all different aspects.”
Waller and his team replicated what the mare went through on Tuesday and will again face on Saturday from arriving at The Valley on the truck, to walking around the stalls, walking around the parade ring, going out onto the track, going back to where the incident happened on Tuesday, cantering past and then going a full lap of the track at a sedate canter.
“She pulled-up and didn’t turn a hair,” Waller said.
“The body language of a horse, if they are not coping or are stressed, they will sweat, so there was none of that, thankfully.”
Waller brought Via Sistina’s regular rider down from his Sydney stable to partner the mare on Thursday who gave the trainer a glowing report.
“She’s ready to go. I’m really happy with her, but we will use all of the next few days to make sure she stays this way,” Waller said.
“If she went backwards, then it would be a concern, but if she maintains her current wellness and health, she’ll certainly be there on Saturday.”
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