After a below par effort at her Flemington debut, Via Sistina has bounced back to winning form and in the process provide the Chris Waller stable with a Group 1 quinella.
Via Sistina was sent out the $2.60 favourite at her Melbourne debut but was comfortably held behind Mr Brightside and Pride Of Jenni in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) on September 14.
However, the imported mare bounced back with aplomb in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) on Saturday after her stablemate Buckaroo had raced past and loomed as the winner.
Ridden by Damian Lane, Via Sistina ($4) scored by a head from Buckaroo ($6) with the $3.40 favourite Eliyass a further 1-½ lengths away third.
Via Sistina is now a dual Group 1 winner for Yulong Investments since joining the Chris Waller stable and assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth said a line had been put through the mare’s last performance.
“We were confident that she would bounce back today, and she was tough,” Duckworth said.
“Buckaroo is the man on the scene at the moment and he was going for three wins in a row. He’s dug deep and only been narrowly denied.
“It’s so fantastic for the whole team and for her to perform like that, it’s pretty special for everyone involved with her, fantastic for Yulong because they really stump up every time and they’ve got an absolute diamond.”
Duckworth said the team did not panic after Via Sistina’s below par effort in the Makybe Diva.
He said Via Sistina was put through all the veterinary checks to make sure there was nothing amiss and she came back with a clean bill of health.
“Ultimately, we knew we had a happy and healthy horse leading into today and that was the difference,” Duckworth said.
“I know everyone was worried about the track and blamed it potentially on the track last start, but I think the tempo of the race and the time in which the rain fell made it into a real shifty track rather than a genuine soft track.”
Via Sistina remains in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 19 and the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) on November 5 for which she is now topweight with 56kg for both races.
But Duckworth said the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 26 was likely to be the next option for the mare.
Duckworth said connections would make the final decision on whether Buckaroo heads to the Caulfield Cup or has a rematch with Via Sistina at The Valley.
“He did make it tough for her, or do we step up to the mile-and-a-half with him,” Duckworth said.
“We won’t worry about that today. We’ll just enjoy the win and enjoy the placings.”
