Trainer Chris Waller is expected to collect another Group 1 trophy in the event named in honour of his late, great mare Verry Elleegant when the stable’s Cox Plate champion Via Sistina runs as the second-up favourite in the 2025 Verry Elleegant Stakes at Randwick on Saturday.

Formerly the Chipping Norton Stakes, the Group 1 $1 million Verry Elleegant Stakes (1600m) race was renamed last year to honour two-time champion Verry Elleegant who sadly passed away in February of 2024 when in foal for the first time.

Waller has an outstanding record in the now seven-figure Randwick mile showdown having prepared 10 Chipping Norton / Verry Elleegant Stakes winners including four-time hero Winx (2015-18).

He returns with a number of key chances to salute for the first time Verry Elleegant’s second win in 2021 saddling-up the top two in Verry Elleegant Stakes betting at Ladbrokes.com.au led by Via Sistina.

The $8.5 million earner resumed in the Group 2 Apollo Stakes (1400m) at Randwick a fortnight back and finished third as the beaten favourite in an all-Waller trifecta behind stablemates Fangirl and Lindermann.

Fitter for her first-up run and up to a mile, Fastnet Rock five-year-old Via Sistina is now odds-on in Verry Elleegant Stakes betting at $1.95 through Ladbrokes.com.au to atone from barrier eight of nine with master hoop James McDonald riding.

The stable’s Apollo Stakes winning mare Fangirl is the danger at Verry Elleegant Stakes odds of $3.10 to complete the double for the first time since Anamoe (2023) two years ago.

Fangirl, a six-year-old daughter of Sebring, was runner-up that year and also placed second in the Verry Elleegant Stakes quinella last autumn behind Think It Over.

She is looking to go one better at her third attempt this season at her pet track (19:7-3-3) from gate five with Jason Collett aboard and plenty of punters are happy to stick with her after the Apollo upset.

Waller dominates the Verry Elleegant Stakes field with four of the nine final acceptors also represented by his Apollo Stakes runner-up Lindermann who is the early market mover into $11 second-up and the rails drawn Land Legend who is a 50/1 roughie kicking off his latest campaign.

Land Legend is a two-time winner from three Randwick assignments including his Group 1 The Metropolitan (2400m) victory last year which he followed up with a Caulfield Cup third and eighth in the Melbourne Cup.

Outside of the Waller contingent the other best in the markets is the Joe Pride trained Ceolwulf at $5.50 in the outside alley for Chad Schofield.

The Tavistock four-year-old won both the Group 1 Epsom Handicap and King Charles III Stakes at this track and trip last prep.

He too resumed in the Apollo and was only 1.45 lengths fourth ahead of his return to the mile this weekend.

The 2025 Verry Elleegant Stakes is scheduled as Randwick Race 8 at 4:35pm (AEDT) on Saturday’s 10-race card.

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