Daily News Wrap

Via Sistina retired

Trainer Chris Waller announced on Sunday that his grand 12-time Group 1 winning mare Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock) would be retired. “The decision has been made to retire Via Sistina,” a statement from the stable read.

“We feel that following her second Cox Plate win and her impressive victory in the Champions Stakes, she hasn’t come back this preparation as her normal, highly energetic self. I would like to thank Via Sistina for the journey she has taken us all on, from her first-up wins over short distances, to her back-to-back Cox Plate victories which is something we will always remember.

“She is tough, determined and a beautiful mare to work with.”

Bred by Colin and Melba Bryce at Laundry Cottage Stud, and sold for 5000 gns (AU$10,500) at the Tattersalls December Yearling Sale, Via Sistina debuted at three, winning a maiden at her second start. She won again at three, but it was at four that she began to show her true talent, winning the G3 Prix Fille de l’Air, then at five she added the G2 Dahlia Stakes, and G1 Pretty Polly Stakes.

Three more Group 1 placings in 2023, at five, concluded her season before she was sent to the 2023 Tattersalls December Mare Sale. Via Sistina made headlines when selling for 2.7 million gns (AU$5.67 million) to the bid of Evergreen Equine and was sent to Australia.

Via Sistina immediately showed she was worth the money that owners Yulong had spent, winning the G1 Ranvet Stakes on her Australian debut, before running second to Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) in the G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes. The next season, 2024/25, she won seven of her nine starts, and all her victories were in Group 1 races, with the G1 Cox Plate standing clear in a sensational performance. Her dominance ensured she was crowned Australia’s Horse Of The Year for 2024/25.

This spring, she added three more Group 1 wins, including a second Cox Plate, to take her tally to 11 in Australia and one in Europe. She has earnings over $19.4 million from her 16 career wins, and nine placings, from 29 starts.

Snitzel leads the Australian Sires

Heading into the autumn carnival, Snitzel is currently leading the Australian Champion Sire Premiership with seven individual stakes winners and progeny earnings over $12.2 million. The Autumn Sun sits in second with Fastnet Rock third and reigning Champion Sire Zoustar in fourth. Fastnet Rock leads the Champion Broodmare Sire table.

Street Boss (USA) is leading the 3-Year-Old Sires table, while the Second Season Sire chart is lead by Ghaiyyath (Ire) from Farnan and Bivouac.

Following Saturday’s R.Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic victory by Unit Five (Supido), Supido now leads the 2-Year-Old Sire Championship from Too Darn Hot (GB) and Hellbent. Home Affairs is leading the First Season Sire table from Sword Of State and Stay Inside.

War Machine on track for Australia Stakes

The G2 Australia Stakes will move from Moonee Valley to Pakenham this summer, and Lindsay Park-trained War Machine (NZ) (Harry Angel {Ire})) is on track to resume there. “He’s going very well. If you watch his trial he did everything he had to and he’s giving us every indication he’s back to his best,” co-trainer Will Hayes told racing.com.

“His best is good enough to mix it with the very best and we’re confident enough that he's in the same condition as before he went to Queensland.” The winner of the Australia Stakes gains a ballot exemption into the G1 Newmarket Handicap.

His half-sister by In The Congo is Lot 336 at the upcoming New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale and will be presented by Ardsley Stud.

Foley to ride here until February

Irish jockey Shane Foley will ride in Victoria until February. “I've come over to Oz for a couple of weeks to see what it's all about again,” Foley told racenet.com.au.

“It's good weather and lifestyle. I'll be staying again until the back end of February and be back in time again for when things kick off at home. We had a good year last year at home. We had 75 winners and we had a Group 1 winner in France on Arc day, which was the pinnacle towards the end of the season so it was nice to top off with that.

“I do a bit of trackwork for Ciaron (Maher) and for Robbie Griffiths. I have a connection with Yulong at home but nothing out here but I've still ridden a few for them. At home it's different. You ride for trainers and it's not like here where you jump around for different stables.”

Cowra Cup won by Shadow Dane

Rebel Dane’s 6-year-old gelding Shadow Dane won Sunday’s Cowra Cup for Dubbo trainer Michael Mulholland. He took his record to six wins from 35 starts with earnings over $145,000.

Shadow Dane was sold by Laurel Oak Bloodstock via an Inglis Digital auction to his trainer for $5500 in 2024 when he was a maiden winner only.

New winner for Admire Mars

Shuttle sire and second season sire Admire Mars (Jpn) added a new winner on Sunday when Matt Laurie-trained 3-year-old gelding Admire Fluke won at Wangaratta. Admire Fluke was having his third start and had run second in both his first two runs. Sold by Riverstone Lodge at the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale, Admire Fluke was purchased by Hong Kong Bloodstock for $40,000.

Admire Fluke is a half-brother to Group 2-placed Noisy Boy (Real Steel {Jpn}) and is from the family of Group 1 winner Fashions Afield (Redoute’s Choice).

Sanniya wins Lady Lynette Stakes

Boom filly Sanniya (Stratosphere) is on track for bigger targets after winning Sunday’s Lady Lynette Stakes at Hobart. The Star Thoroughbreds-owned filly was an unbeaten juvenile last season, winning the Listed Gold Sovereign Stakes and Magic Millions Tasmania 2YO Classic. This season, she’s won three from four.

With earnings over $280,000, Sanniya was purchased by Star Thoroughbreds and Randwick Bloodstock (FBAA) for $67,500 at the Magic Millions Tasmania Yearling Sale from Grenville Stud. She is one of 10 stakes winners out of Written Tycoon broodmares.

At the Hobart meeting, Magnus sired a double with 3-year-olds Magnolia Sky and Swift Force. Alpine Eagle had a double with Alpine Honey and The Trine.

Proisir leading NZ Sire table

Champion Sire Proisir is leading the 2025/26 New Zealand Stallion Premiership, from Savabeel and Almanzor (Fr). Written Tycoon leads the 3-Year-Old Premiership, while Home Affairs leads the 2-Year-Old Premiership.

Hello Youmzain (Fr) is currently ahead on the Second Season Sire table, and the current leader of the First Season Sire table is Home Affairs. The upcoming Karaka Million races will likely change the leaderboard.

New stakes winner for former shuttler Omaha Beach

Spendthrift Farm and Repole Stable's 4-year-old entire Accelerize (USA) (Omaha Beach {USA}) tackled a seasoned field in Saturday's 1 1/16-mile G3 Louisiana Stakes at Fair Grounds in just his fourth career start and prevailed in a hard-fought stretch battle.

“On paper it looked like there was a lot of speed, but my horse came from a shorter distance and showed some speed as well,” jockey Flavian Prat, who was winning his third race on the card, told FanDuel TV. “He showed he has some fight in him and [the future] is pretty bright for him.”

The 2025 leading third-crop sire, Spendthrift Farm's Omaha Beach adds his 27th black-type winner and ninth graded winner with Accelerize's Louisiana win. The colt is inbred 3×3 to Take Charge Lady as the blue hen is both the granddam of Omaha Beach and the dam of Take Charge Indy, Accelerize's broodmare sire. The latter, who stands at WinStar, has seven stakes winners out of his daughters.

His dam, Motion Emotion, winner of the 2019 Zia Park Oaks and thrice graded placed, including in the 2020 GII Fleur de Lis Stakes behind Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute), was an US$800,000 (AU$1.2 million) purchase at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton November sale by Spendthrift.

Slot machines removed by law enforcement in USA

Two days after first being quietly unveiled at Santa Anita, the Racing on Demand slot machine-style parimutuel games—with distinct similarities to Historic Horse Racing—were removed from the track by Department of Justice law enforcement officers Saturday afternoon.

In videos shared with the TDN, law enforcement officers are seen wheeling the machines out the back of the Santa Anita grandstand on gurneys.

There have been 26 machines in total operating in the grandstand pavilion since Thursday. They offered $1 bets and required gamblers to select the first three finishers of three random six-horse previously-run races.

The ultimate purpose of the machines was to provide a much-needed additional source of income for Santa Anita's purses, which have struggled to compete with other states where purse accounts are juiced by supplemental revenue sources like HHR machines.

The question had been whether the machines were legal or not without explicit approval from Tribal entities in the state who hold a lock on non-pari-mutuel wagering in California.

In a short statement issued late Saturday evening, Los Angeles Turf Club senior vice-president Scott Daruty maintained that they were.

“We stand firmly behind our legal analysis. Racing On Demand operates under California's longstanding pari-mutuel wagering laws using a wager that regulators already approved. Attorney General Bonta received our comprehensive legal analysis nearly a year ago. His office had ample time to raise concerns. They did not. We proceeded on solid legal ground, and since the state is choosing to challenge that now, we're fully prepared to defend ourselves. We're confident the law is clear,” Daruty wrote.