Waller proud as Champion mare Via Sistina back a winner

Chris Waller showing emotion is well established but what was new was a new record set with eleven victories in the Verry Elleegant Stakes as Via Sistina returned to the winners’ stall at Randwick.

For a man who has won 173 group one races, these wins are yet to become the norm for the training powerhouse Sydney-based New Zealander and surpassing Tommy Smith’s mark of ten wins in the Group 1 over 1600-metres formerly known as the Chipping Norton Stakes.

That was touching enough for Waller let along his star pair Via Sistina and Fangirl staging a stirring battle to the line.

“I knew it was going to be a battle of tactics, and James was concerned about the draw (barrier 8), in terms of where we would get to,” Waller said

“The track is racing pretty quick today and it ishard to make up a lot of ground so the last 200m I was proud, simple as that.

“Unfortunately there had to be a winner.”

Fangirl ($3.30) challenged Via Sistina ($1.60 favourite) in what for a moment looked like a repeat is the former’s win in the Group 2 Apollo Stakes (1400m) a fortnight ago but it would the 2024 Cox Plate winner who scored by a neck-margin with Lindermann ($11) – a Waller stablemate – in third.

Waller said that the two mares’ paths will now split with Fangirl to run in the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m) and Via Sistina in the Group 1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) with both run on March 22 en-route to the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m).

Recording his 111th win at the highest level, James Mcdonald was realistic as to whether the seven-year-old Via Sistina could maintain her level of performances ongoing.

“There’s no guarantees in racing, but she’s going to be awfully hard to beat, especially now that that second-up run is out of the way.” McDonald said.

“We all know what she can do third and fourth-up, and her big one is fourth-up, so that’s when she won her Cox Plate.

“Hopefully she can get somewhere near that. She probably won’t ever get near that again but at least she can get somewhere near that,” he added with reference to that Cox Plate win that rated 130 by Racing and Sports.

Via Sistina’s win occurred less than an hour after Waller and McDonald combined to win the Group 1 Surround Stakes (1400m) with Lady Shenandoah.