Cover image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
Via Sistina's (Ire) (Fastnet Rock) career peak remains the G1 Cox Plate and that mark still remains an outlier in her ratings despite some high performances around it.
Via the undisputed queen
Going into Saturday’s $5 million feature, Via Sistina had some querying whether her best was behind her, giving the soft nature of her ratings at her first three runs this campaign.
Chris Waller’s mare settled off-speed in the Group 1 feature, before jockey James McDonald found plenty of traffic approaching the home turn.
As favourite backers began to curl up in the fetal position, the world’s best jockey was searching for runs in a race that would prove the defining moment in Via Sistina’s career. Eventually the pair saw daylight and despite being checked after chasing a hot tempo, Via Sistina was too good, winning with more than 1l to spare and beating standard time by 4l.
She is the best 2000-metre horse in the country and only another girl in the same silks can change that this spring, should we see the rising 8-year-old race on.
Three fillies to threaten that crown
Treasurethe Moment (Alabama Express) won the G1 ATC Oaks, but a change of underwear was required for the big punters who smashed the $1.75 to see the filly start $1.50. The slow tempo suited last year’s G1 VRC Oaks winner as she’s proven to have the best turn of foot. Surely if they were going to beat her someone had to test her 2400-metre capabilities right out? Instead they rode for second albeit the leader, Sun 'N' Sand (Pride Of Dubai), almost pinched it. The winner’s 11.36s last sectional was supreme and she again showed her dominance.
The 3-year-old fillies this season have been as good as we’ve seen since the turn of the century. Treasurethe Moment, Aeliana (NZ) (Castelvecchio) and Lady Shenandoah (Snitzel) are running times of genuine Group 1 horses. Normally we see a filly dominate a Group 1 against a bunch of horses that would struggle in a handy Benchmark 90 race against the older horses. But this trio are first class and this is one of those moments where a three-way match race with $3 million up for grabs would be quite something.
For what it's worth, this is where I’d put them in the spring.
Treasurethe Moment – G1 Memsie Stakes, G1 Makybe Diva Stakes, then decide if you have a crack at Cox Plate or pull back for the G1 Empire Rose Stakes with the possibility of backing up into either the G1 Champions Mile or G1 Champions Stakes (2000 metres) on the final day of Flemington.
Aeliana – Strictly weight-for-age until the G1 Caulfield Cup and then G1 Melbourne Cup. She is as good as any staying filly - Winx {Street Cry {Ire}} was considered middle distance - we’ve seen in two decades and appears to have the natural stamina to go all the way this spring.
Lady Shenandoah – The $10 million Golden Eagle is over the same track and distance as her G1 Coolmore Classic victory, but knowing if she gets 2000 metres at Group 1 level would be handy. I’d think the G1 Underwood Stakes is a nice stepping stone to that.
A slow tempo at Fangirl's mercy
Fangirl (Sebring) showed again how she can dominate slowly run races when her and J-Mac came storming down the middle to beat an unlucky Stefi Magnetica (All Too Hard) and Atishu (NZ) (Savabeel), who was desperate for a faster run race and can easily go north for the G1 Doomben Cup.
Fangirl’s last 600 metres was 6l above standard and ranked ninth for the day. You just can’t give her a soft tempo like that. The best way to beat her is by going fast and making her work the whole way.
Eyes on Tempted for the spring
What a marvel Tempted (Street Boss {USA}) is for James Cummings and Godolphin. She’s missed a place once in six starts and that was her unlucky seventh in the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes. She was third in the G1 Golden Slipper Stakes after getting too far back, and on Saturday won the G2 Percy Sykes Stakes clocking a last 600 metres that was 7l above standard, while her last 1000 metres ranked fifth for the day. She was the win of the day for me and might be the 2-year-old sprinter this season that goes on with it next season.
Saturday’s Listed Fernhill Stakes was won by Spicy Lu (Tagaloa) who was afforded the opportunity to lead going 16l below standard through the first 1000 metres. That made it near impossible for the backmarkers to get into the race and I’d be wary about ruling a horse like Michelangelo (Trapeze Artist) out, should he present at the races soon. He’s got flat sectionals and those types need fast tempo to show their best. He’s yet to find that in a race since his debut and could jump out of the ground when he does.
