Australia: Via Sistina sets course record with eight-length Cox Plate victory

With 100 yards remaining in Saturday’s Group 1 Cox Plate at Moonee Valley Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, Via Sistina was well clear of eight rivals, enough for jockey James McDonald to stand up in the saddle and begin celebrating.

Via Sistina rallied from sixth through the final half-mile with a wide run to take a commanding lead in early stretch of the $3.32 million Cox Plate at about 1 1/4 miles.

With an insurmountable advantage, Via Sistina won by eight lengths over the Japanese shipper Prognosis. Broadsiding, a Southern Hemisphere 3-year-old, finished third, while Pride of Jenni, the Australian Horse of the Year for the 2023-2024 season, faded from the lead to finish eighth.

:: Get free past performances, analysis, and picks for Australian racing

Via Sistina was timed in course-record time of 2:01.07. The previous mark of 2:02.07 was set in the 2017 Cox Plate by the brilliant mare Winx, who won the race in four consecutive seasons from 2015 through 2018.

Via Sistina is trained by Chris Waller, who also trained Winx.

McDonald’s early celebration resulted in a fine of approximately $1,320 from track stewards.

The win came four days after McDonald was unseated from Via Sistina during exercise at Moonee Valley. Via Sistina appeared to stumble when a bandage on a foreleg became loose. After dislodging McDonald, Via Sistina ran loose for two circuits of the track, which has a circumference of 1 1/8 miles. In the immediate aftermath, there was concern Via Sistina would not start in the Cox Plate. Waller announced on Friday morning that she would start.

A Irish-bred mare by Fastnet Rock, Via Sistina was bought for approximately $3.5 milllion last December and races for Zhang Yueshang’s Yulong Investments. Via Sistina won the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes in Ireland in 2023 before starting her career in Australia.

Earlier this year, Via Sistina won three Group 1 races in Australia – the Ranvet Stakes at 1 1/4 miles at Rosehill Gardens in March, the Winx Stakes at seven furlongs at Royal Randwick Racecourse in August, and the Turnbull Stakes at 1 1/4 miles at Flemington on Oct. 5.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.