Yes WOW, the Chris Waller trained Via Sistina on 127, is the highest rated female on the World’s Best Racehorse Rankings, and is equal to the Epsom Derby winner City Of Troy.
In joining City Of Troy, also on 127 as the World’s Best Turf Racehorses, they are just behind the 128 top-ranked Dubai World Cup winner Laurel River, who has led the World Rankings since April.
In making the Australian Spring her own, there’s no doubting Via Sistina’s superiority with her eight-length victory in the $5m WS Cox Plate of 2040m, the ‘Weight-for- Age Championship of Australia.’
Winning in a record time of 2-01.07sec on a Good 3 track, she shaved 1.87sec off Winx’s previous race record, to have her Champion jockey James McDonald say “that was a Winx performance.”
In being described as ‘a win for the ages’ it was the Japanese Kinko Sho winner Prognosis, Damien Lane, a distant second with the Godolphin Golden Rose 3yo Broadsiding being a closing third.
In having four wins from five starts this Spring preparation she first took out the Winx Stakes of 1400m over stable-mates Zougotcha an Fangirl, having been first-up following a 14-week spell.
Three weeks later it was onto the Makybe Diva Stakes of 1600m, but with the speedsters Mr Brightside and Pride of Jenni being better equipped to handle the Heavy 9 track, Via Sistina finished fifth.
Back to the winner’s stall in her very next start at Flemington, she took out the Turnbull Stakes of 2000m, with Damien Lane replacing the injured James McDonald, and then onto the Cox Plate.
Next after the WS Cox Plate in her final start for the Spring, Via Sistina scored a convincing 2¾ length victory in the Champion Stakes of 2000m with James McDonald, winning from stable-mate Atishu.
Now the winner of 10 of her 20 starts and $8.5m, and haven taken the Ranvet Stakes of 2000m at her first Aussie race start, she next ran second to Pride of Jenni in the $5m Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Rated 117 as an older mare coming to Australia, she won the Pretty Polly Stakes at The Curragh, having been placed in the Champion Stakes, Prix Jean Romanet and Falmouth Stakes, all Group 1.
A 2.7m Gns buy at the 2023 Tattersalls December Sale via Evergreen Equine, she’s by the Coolmore shuttle sire Fastnet Rock from the unraced Galileo dam Nigh, a €180,000 Goffs November Foal.
As family of dual Group 1 sprinter Kingsgate Native, Via Vistina was a 5,000 Gns yearling for Beck Hillen of Stephen Hillen Bloodstock, with Nigh selling again for 200,000 Gns in-foal to Too Darn Hot.
However, with Coolmore disappointed that their Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic favorite City of Troy was unable to handle the Del Mar track, it was victory for their Sierra Leone trained by Chad Brown.
With his ranking jumping to 125 from 120, Sierra Leone is now in co-fourth position having scored a 1½ length over the Travers Stakes winner Fierceness, 123, Japan’s Forever Young, 120, in third.
As winner of the Blue Grass Stakes in April and a nose second in the Kentucky Derby, Coolmore said he will race onto next season, having been a $2.3m Fasig-Tipton NY Yearling, sired by Gun Runner.
Also in the Top 10 is Charyn, 124, who improved his rating from 122 having he won the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes by 2 lengths over Facteur Cheval, 120, having also won the Queen Anne Stakes.
In addition, Anmaat, Do Duce and Rousham Park have all join the rankings on 122., with Anmaat winning the Champion Stakes, Do Deuce the Tenno Sho with Rousham Park a neck behind Rebel’s Romance, 123, in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf and Ka Ying Rising to 120 for six consecutive wins in Hong Kong with victory in the Premier Bowl.