Via Sistina Will Skip The Melbourne Cup In Favour Of Champions Stakes Bid

[Wandering Eyes]

Globetrotting multiple Group 1 winner Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) will skip next week's G1 Melbourne Cup and instead target the G1 Champions Stakes during the Australian autumn, Yulong's Sam Fairgray revealed on Wednesday. A title defence of the G1 Cox Plate is also in the offing for next October.

Originally a 5,000gns Tattersalls December yearling purchase, the bay would go on to take the G1 Pretty Polly Stakes before changing hands for 2,700,000gns at the 2023 Tattersalls December Mares Sale. Now racing for Yusheng Zhang's Yulong in Australia, she has won a total of four Group 1 races for Chris Waller just this year, beginning with the Ranvet Stakes in March, the Winx Stakes in August, the Turnbull Stakes in September and the Cox Plate last Saturday.

“The big carrot that the boss (Mr Zhang) ultimately wants to win one day is the Melbourne Cup,” Sam Fairgray told racenet.com.au. “He would love to win it. But at the end of the day the horse comes first. Everything was considered and the decision was made that the best thing for her was not to run (in the Cup). It was never in our early calculations, so hopefully she can now go to the Champions (Stakes).

“Hong Kong is definitely off (this year). We have a property at Bayles, so she will go there (after the Champions) and get a rest and we will get set for the autumn, and hopefully another Cox Plate next year.”

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