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Racing fans Australia wide will have eyes on Randwick this weekend when Chris Waller‘s brilliant eight-length Cox Plate champion Via Sistina returns to the races in the 2025 Apollo Stakes.

A small but select field of eight autumn hopefuls faces off in Saturday’s Group 2 $300,000 Apollo Stakes (1400m) which headlines the 10-race card in Sydney.

Heading Apollo Stakes betting at Ladbrokes.com.au at $2.20 for a first-up victory is seven-year-old mare Via Sistina who absolutely dominated the spring.

She won a trio of elite levels on the trot in Melbourne, most famously putting a record equalling margin on her rivals to win the Australasian WFA championship with a Cox Plate performance for the ages at The Valley.

Far from stopping there, the daughter of Fastnet Rock then put nearly three lengths on them at Flemington to take out the Champions Stakes before a well deserved break.

Back this weekend she has an imposing first-up record (7:4-1-1) and will get a lovely run from barrier three with Kerrin McEvoy riding.

At her latest Sydney assignment she saluted at this track and trip to win the Group 1 Winx Stakes and looks every chance to salute for the punters again.

Waller has a strong record in the Apollo Stakes having won six times since 2008 and he’ll again be well represented in the field this season with four of the eight final acceptors hailing from the stable.

The other Waller runners in the mix are the defending champion Fangirl ($3.80) who is out to go back-to-back for the first time since Winx (2016-17), Atishu ($15) who ran second in the Champions Stakes over the Cup Carnival, and Linderman ($20).

The biggest danger to Waller claiming his seventh Apollo trophy is the Joe Pride trained Ceolwulf at $3.80 odds.

The ultra-consistent Tavistock four-year-old was a spring marvel taking out the Group 1 Epsom Handicap – King Charles III Stakes double.

He is yet to win from four previous first-up runs however and is also likely to be better suited when up to a mile later this prep making him somewhat of a risk in the markets.

For value, the James Cummings trained Zardozi looks a nice mare at good Apollo Stakes odds to potentially finish in the money at $26.

It has been a while between drinks for the Godolphin raced daughter of Kingman whose last victory was in March last year, but the former VRC Oaks winner gets the rails run and was outstanding when only 1.3 lengths beaten in the Melbourne Cup when fourth to King’s Choice last November.

The 2025 Apollo Stakes is set to run as Randwick Race 8 at 4:35pm (AEDT).

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