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The big race wins continued for Chris Waller‘s prized import with Via Sistina equaling the Winx record of seven Group 1 victories in a single season with her dominant display in Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth Stakes 2025 results at Royal Randwick.
The outstanding daughter of Fastnet Rock made it three elite level Sydney wins on the trot when saluting for the punters as the $2 top elect in another great edition of the long-established Group 1 $5 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) on Day 2 of The Championships.
“She just keeps turning up every week, I’d like to have a few more like her,” Waller told Sky Thoroughbred Central.
“And we have, we’ve got a great team, but she just shows the difference between a good horse and a champion.”
Second behind tearaway winner Pride Of Jenni in the race last year, the now seven-year-old went one better to continue her legacy as one of the best thoroughbreds of all time with her 1.75 length romp home over William Haggas‘ UK raider Dubai Honour.
“Look, she missed in this race last year, but we just miscalculated and full credit to Pride Of Jenni, Declan Bates and Ciaron,” Waller admitted.
“They won the race, they pulled our pants down. It was a tough, tough day that day. But, hey, I shouldn’t be crying.”
Previously undefeated in Australia after his lead-up Tancred Stakes success, Dubai Honour was brave but had to settle for second honours behind Waller’s now nine-time Group 1 winning mare.
Master hoop James McDonald never panicked on Via Sistina who was outside the leading pack around the turn and forced back to the inside on the home straight.
With 200m left to travel J Mac and Via began to slice through the field and come for stablemate Lindermann who had done all the work in the lead.
Via Sistina took the front inside the final 100m, drawing clear and going on to win in style.
“I’m thinking that we were saving ground, it was an economical run, we had the right man aboard,” Waller said.
“James has continued to mature and not panic, that’s the key to winning these big races.
“The big jockeys win them all the time, to have one of them on your horse’s back is a big plus for your team.”
In third off a quick back-up after running seventh in the Doncaster here last week was the Godolphin raced Tom Kitten, while Waller also took out fourth with his underrated galloper Lindermann far from disgraced off his front-running ride.
“Chris just trains her up beautifully every time, he did it for a Cox Plate, he’s done it for the Queen Elizabeth,” winning jockey McDonald said.
“You could poke holes in her performances coming into today because she hasn’t been winning by big margins, but that’s the type of horse she is now, she only does what she has to.
“She felt like she was going to rip away and then at the furlong she’s just doing enough.
“Very good horse There was one little worrying moment, I thought the one I was following was going to kick for a gap and he just didn’t go for it, and I ended up back off him, but she was superior, once I got those gaps, she sliced through and went bang.”
Via Sistina came off a similarly easy win over Lindermann in the Group 1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) and proved the fit favourite fourth-up in the Queen Elizabeth to complete a double last achieved by Dubai Honour in 2023.
“She’s a big big horse and she’s quite scary really, we don’t ask her too much at home, we just hold it together and know that it’s their raceday,” Waller said.
“You’re looking for them to sprint, and when she sprints, the acceleration is there. We’re still getting to know her, it’s as simple as that and she’s well into her twilight years.
“It’s scary, really, how good she is.”
It is now all systems go for Via Sistina looking ahead to the spring where the main focus will be on a title defence in the Group 1 $5 million Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) at The Valley on October 25, a classic she won by eight lengths last year.
She is already a $3 favourite in early pre-nomination 2025 Cox Plate betting odds at Ladbrokes.com.au.
2025 Queen Elizabeth Stakes Results
| 12. Via Sistina (1) J: James McDonald57kg 1x311T: Chris Waller | ||
| 1. Dubai Honour (11) J: Tom Marquand59kg x22x1T: William Haggas | ||
| 5. Tom Kitten (4) J: Ben Melham59kg x2157T: James Cummings | ||
| 8. Lindermann (6) J: Nash Rawiller59kg x2332T: Chris Waller | ||
| 4. Ceolwulf (13) J: Chad Schofield59kg x4531T: Joseph Pride | ||
| 2. Rousham Park (10) J: Christophe Lemaire59kg x027xT: Hiroyasu Tanaka | ||
| 7. Buckaroo (3) J: Tommy Berry59kg 229x9T: Chris Waller | ||
| 9. Fawkner Park (5) J: Tyler Schiller59kg 51x43T: Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald | ||
| 10. Middle Earth (7) J: Jamie Melham59kg 38x15T: Ciaron Maher | ||
| 6. Vauban (12) J: Tim Clark59kg 20x13T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | ||
| 3. Light Infantry Man (9) J: Ethan Brown59kg 1x631T: Ciaron Maher | ||
| 14. Deny Knowledge (8) J: Mark Zahra57kg 57x12T: Anthony & Sam Freedman | ||
| 11. Geoglyph (2) J: Damian Lane59kg x5x00T: Tetsuya Kimura |
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