Australia: Via Sistina scores repeat Cox Plate victory

There was no course record, but the result was the same as last year.

Via Sistina won Saturday’s Group 1 Cox Plate at Moonee Valley Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, to confirm her place as the nation’s leading older horse.

In 2024, Via Sistina won the Cox Plate in record time of 2:01.07 for about 1 1/4 miles on turf. On Saturday, Via Sistina (who was favored and paid $4.20 in American pools) was timed in 2:05.03. Both races were run on good turf.

Ridden by James McDonald for trainer Chris Waller, Via Sistina won her second Group 1 race of the current season, which began in August. She ended a two-race losing streak in Group 1 races in the Cox Plate.

In the 2024-2025 season, Via Sistina won a record-equaling seven Group 1 races and was named Horse of the Year.

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The $3.89 million Cox Plate is Australia’s leading weight-for-age race.

On Saturday, Via Sistina was sixth of nine for the first mile before McDonald moved the 7-year-old mare closer to contention with a wide move. Continuing wide, Via Sistina caught stretch leader Treasurethe Moment with less than a sixteenth remaining and held off a late threat from 14-1 Buckaroo to win by a short head. Treasurethe Moment (2-1) finished third.

Via Sistina has won 15 of 28 starts.

McDonald won the Cox Plate for the fourth consecutive year on Saturday. Waller has won the race six times, including four consecutive runnings from 2015 to 2018 with Winx.

Saturday’s race was the last Cox Plate at Moonee Valley until 2027. Part of the property on the course is scheduled to undergo a 21-month redevelopment beginning in November. The 2026 Cox Plate will be run at nearby Flemington, two miles to the southwest.

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