Australia: Via Sistina, with seven Group 1 wins, named Horse of Year

Via Sistina, the winner of a record-equaling seven Group 1 wins from August 2024 to April of this year, was named Australia’s Horse of the Year for the 2024-2025 season in a ceremony in Brisbane on Sunday.

Via Sistina, a 7-year-old Irish-bred mare, won stakes at the highest level during the 2024-2025 season at distances ranging from seven furlongs to about 1 1/4 miles, including the Cox Plate at about 1 1/4 miles at Moonee Valley in Melbourne in course-record time of 2:01.07. Via Sistina broke the previous Cox Plate record of 2:02.07 set by Winx in 2017.

Overall, Via Sistina won 7 of 9 starts during the 2024-2025 for Zhang Yueshang’s Yulong Investments and trainer Chris Waller, who was recognized as the nation’s outstanding trainer on Sunday.

Via Sistina’s seven Group 1 wins equals the single-season mark set by Winx in the 2018-2019 season. The Australia racing season runs from Aug. 1 to July 31.

Via Sistina, who was also named the champion middle-distance horse for the 2024-2025 season, has started once this year, winning the Group 1 Winx Stakes at seven furlongs at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on Aug. 23. She won the same race in August 2024 at the start of her championship season.

Other championships awards announced on Sunday were Marhoona, 2-year-old; Treasurethe Moment, 3-year-old filly; Broadsiding, 3-year-old male; Bella Nipotina, sprinter; Knight’s Choice, stayer; and Duke of Bedford, jumper.

Treasurethe Moment is also a Group 1 winner during the current season, having won the Memsie Stakes at seven furlongs at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne on Saturday. Treasurethe Moment has won three consecutive Group 1 races, including two races in the first half of April in Sydney.

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