Saturday summary: Unstoppable Via Sistina picks up 10th Group 1

Cover image courtesy of Sportpix

Via Sistina parts the Randwick sea to capture 10th Group 1

They just can’t catch her; despite Chris Waller’s reservations about the Heavy 10 track at Royal Randwick on Saturday, he needn’t have worried too much about how Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock) would return as the 8-year-old mare demolished a quality field to win back-to-back G1 Winx Stakes.

Mid-pack into the home straight, the mare and James McDonald waited patiently until, as if waves parting ahead of her, a gap opened in front of Via Sistina and she shot to the lead. Only stablemate Aeliana (NZ) (Castelvecchio) could pose a significant challenge as she strode for home, having to settle for second place by a neck at the winning post, with Arapaho (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) in third another length and a half behind.

“It was almost a Foxplay moment, wasn’t it?” Waller said post-race, referencing almost exactly eight years before, when Foxplay (Foxwedge) challenged Winx (Street Cry {Ire}) in the G2 Warwick Stakes and got within a short neck of downing the mighty mare. “We’ve got a couple of decent mares on our hands.”

Waller expressed that his pre-race concerns for his gallopers wouldn’t be alleviated until they were fully recovered, and suggested changes be made to the winter racing schedule in order to properly rest the turf.

“I didn’t have doubt (that) we could run today,” Waller said. “My doubt was, where are we after today? In two weeks’ time, four weeks’ time?

“(Australian Turf Club track manager) Michal Wood does a fantastic job and (ATC senior racing official) Nevesh Ramdhani. They’ve got a fantastic team. We went and walked the track before and it’s safe. They’ve got a great track. But I want to help them in July and relieve them so they’ve got fresh ground to work with.

“These horses are worth so much money and the punters put so much into it week-in, week-out (that) we’ve got to have the best surface. They need Via Sistina, not just winning today. They need Via Sistina winning second up, third up, fourth up, and the horses behind her, they’ve got to come through the race.

“We’ve got to have all the best horses for as many times during the spring as we can.”

Waller confirmed that a similar path will take Via Sistina towards a G1 Cox Plate defence this season. Plans for Aeliana have yet to be confirmed.

Gallery: Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography

Pedigree: Via Sistina’s unraced dam Nigh (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was also purchased by Yulong Investments in 2023, and has a Northern Hemisphere-born yearling colt by Too Darn Hot (GB) to follow. Yulong also purchased Via Sistina’s half-sister Via Sienna (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) at Arqana Deauville Vente d'Élevage in 2024.

Autumn Glow’s glowing record continues in Toy Show

She’s been the horse that James McDonald would talk about in his sleep, if any, and unbeaten filly Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun) proved exactly why she deserves to be thought of so highly with another top tier performance in her G3 Toy Show Quality at Randwick on Saturday.

Travelling in the middle of the pack under James McDonald, the 4-year-old mare only needed eventual second placegetter Gangsta Granny (Written Tycoon) to quicken and give her breathing room so she could fire. She pushed past to score by half a length on the line, with Hi Dubai (Pride Of Dubai) almost two lengths away in third.

“There were a few unknowns with her," trainer Chris Waller said, who elected to scratch the mare from the G3 Show County Quality in favour of the Toy Show, and have even considered scratching her altogether.

“Just over the 1100 metres - she was in a little bit of trouble from the 500 to the 300, but once she came back to the inside and got a bit of fresh air, it was good to see her finish off.

“My gut tells me (that) 1600 metres is going to be perfect. She is just a beautiful specimen, a lovely, scopey horse. I will talk to the owners, but maybe the Theo Marks (Stakes) will be a nice stepping stone. We could always come back (in distance) if she had to. I just think the Epsom (Handicap) is there for her."

James McDonald was just as effusive with his praise, saying, “the thing is, we haven't even scratched the surface in terms of putting her under a lot of pressure. Whatever she has done so far, Chris has just wrapped her in cotton wool. She is doing it all on her own.

“When she starts with the sword put to her, she will respond really well. She is that type of horse. She has got no pain barrier."

Sales: Originally a $600,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Weanling Sale purchase from Newhaven Park for Silverdale Farm and Shrone Bloodstock, Autumn Glow sold at the following Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale for $1.8 million to Arrowfield Pastoral and Hermitage Thoroughbreds.

Pedigree: A three-quarter-sister to Newgate Farm’s G1 Golden Rose-winning sire In The Congo, Autumn Glow is the daughter of three-time Group 1 winner Via Africa (SAf) (Var {USA}), who is currently empty after missing to Snitzel and I Am Invincible last spring.

Group treble for Waller as Lazzura snares Show County

The Waller mares were out in force on Saturday at Randwick, and talented 4-year-old Lazzura (Snitzel) dodged Autumn Glow to score in the G3 Show County Quality later in the card - and again with James McDonald in the saddle, bringing up a Group treble for the champion jockey.

With Your Blessing (NZ) (Vadamos {Fr}) looked to have the race in the bag in the home straight, but Lazzura descended from the clouds to snatch it off of the 7-year-old gelding, shooting past him to score by a length and a third.

“She deserves a Group 1 so we have to pick out the right Group 1,” Waller said.

“The Sir Rupert Clarke early in the spring at Caulfield (could be suitable), or whether we keep her up here for an Epsom and see where (stablemate) Autumn Glow is going. A few little things to map together. She will win one and maybe not just one.”

It was the mare’s third black-type win, having bagged the G2 Phar Lap Stakes in the autumn, in between a third placing to Lady Shenandoah (Snitzel) in the G1 Surround Stakes and running Lekvarte (NZ) (Reliable Man {GB}) to a head in the G2 Emancipation Stakes.

“She is a talented filly in her own right,” Waller continued. “All those horses that have won it have gone on to win Group 1 races. Lazzurra is just waiting for that moment to happen.”

Sales: B2B Thoroughbreds paid $500,000 to take Lazzura home from breeder Arrowfield Stud’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft.

Pedigree: Lazzura is the second stakes performer for winning mare Laguna Azzurra (Jpn) (Heart’s Cry {Jpn}), a three-quarter-sister to dual Group 3 winner Seewind (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) out of dual Listed winner Silky Lagoon (Jpn) (Brian’s Time {USA}). Laguna Azzurra has a yearling full sister to Lazzura on the ground, and visited Farnan last spring, with a due date in early September.

Baraqiel overcomes pre-race drama to win Carlyon

Scratched on raceday two weeks ago due to stewards’ concerns with his action, the 7-year-old Baraqiel (Snitzel) was ready and raring to go on Saturday after being cleared by Racing Victoria vets earlier in the week - but his run still wasn’t going to be free of drama.

Checked twice more - once for blood in the mouth - before being locked away in the barriers, Baraqiel put the pre-race antics behind him to leap into the box seat on jumping in the Listed Carylon Stakes at Moonee Valley. The gelding hit the front in the home straight and was uncatchable for early leader Midwest (Zoustar), who had to settle for second by one and a quarter lengths.

“I’m not sure I’m cut out for this anymore,” said co-trainer Troy Corstens, who trains the gelding with Leon Corstens and Will Larkin. “I’m getting 51 and the heart was fluttering beforehand, I can tell you. It was not great, and it’s very hard to tell. We’re standing here, and next minute he gets backed out, and your heart sinks, because of all the hard work that’s gone into him.

“But the stewards made the right decision, and we got the result that we wanted. He’s an amazing animal. I would’ve loved to have had him sound from an early age.”

The plan for the lightly raced gelding is to head to the G1 Moir Stakes, before a possible tilt at the G1 Manikato Stakes.

“I said to him (jockey Ben Allen), we got the eye on the the prize, I really want to win the Manikato, so if we can avoid giving him a hard run, let’s do that,” Corstens said.

“When that run came up the inside, it was great. We’ll be going to the Moir, 100%. We were a bit worried about the 1000 (metres) coming into today. I think we’ve put that to bed.”

Sales: Bennett Racing, Anthony Freedman Racing, and Blue Sky Bloodstock (FBAA) paid $150,000 for the gelding as a Magic Millions graduate from Arrowfield Stud. In 2024, two shares sold in Baraqiel for $14,000 and $11,000 each.

Pedigree: Baraqiel is a three-quarter-brother to G1 Australian Oaks winner Autumn Angel (The Autumn Sun), out of Group 3 winner Angel Of Mercy (Hussonet {USA}), who has a yearling colt by Hitotsu bound for the sales next year.

Cafe Millenium strikes in Morphettville’s Macdonald

Lindsay Park-trained gelding Cafe Millenium (Not A Single Doubt) defied short-priced favourite Splash Back (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) by two lengths to take out the Listed Leon Macdonald Stakes at Morphettville on Saturday. The 5-year-old was the forgotten outsider for most of the run before flying home within the last furlong to clinch victory.

The winner of the $150,000 Pierro Plate on debut as a 2-year-old, it would take the gelding over two years to capture his second win - coming just this past July at Flemington - but he has always been competitive in stakes company, most notably running third in the G1 Randwick Guineas behind Celestial Legend. Cafe Millenium was transferred to the Hayes brothers as recently as early February, and, on X, the team professed feeling thrilled for the owners after the gelding’s performance.

Sales: Cafe Millenium is bred and raced by Ron Finemore of Finemore Thoroughbreds and Planette Thoroughbred Trading.

Pedigree: Cafe Millenium is the best foal from juvenile winner Veloce Forte (High Chaparral {Ire}), who was also bred by Finemore and is a half-sister to G2 Moonee Valley Fillies Classic winner Gypsy Diamond (Not A Single Doubt) and dual Listed winner Miraval Rose (Grunt {NZ}). Veloce Forte hasn’t had much luck in the breeding barn, with her most recent foal being 2-year-old filly Forte Fatale (Needs Further).