Via Sistina weathers heavy Randwick surface to claim Winx Stakes

[Wandering Eyes]

Via Sistina holds out Aeliana to claim the Group 1 Winx Stakes. (Photo: Bradleyphotos.com.au)

Via Sistina returned from a four-month break and handled a sodden Randwick to retain her crown in the Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m), fending off a fierce late surge from stablemate Aeliana.

First-up since her Queen Elizabeth Stakes triumph in April, the champion mare settled within striking distance, quickened when James McDonald asked, and then had to lift again when the Australian Derby winner dove along the inside.

The margin was a neck, with Sydney Cup winner Arapaho closing for third and Ceolwulf rattling home into fourth on the Heavy 10 surface.

The win arrived on testing ground that had trainer Chris Waller publicly uneasy on race morning. He stressed he was willing to run but wanted certainty that his stars would come through the day and into the spring intact.

Afterwards he likened the heart-in-mouth stretch to the “Foxplay moment” from Winx’s 2017 Warwick Stakes, when a stablemate nearly caused an upset before the champion surged again.

McDonald’s ride was all tempo and timing. He nursed the mare into the race, angled clear before the 200m, and kept her balanced as the inside run presented for Aeliana. Post-race, he praised the four-year-old runner-up’s effort while noting that Via Sistina tends to improve deeper into a campaign — a tantalising thought given how sharp she was fresh on bottomless ground.

Horse racing bookmakers reacted instantly, trimming Via Sistina’s Cox Plate quote from around $2.30 to even money on the back of the win.

The performance also pushed the mare’s Group 1 tally into double figures — a 10th top-level success — and added another piece of history: no mare her age has won a Group 1 in Australia since Tranquil Star some eight decades ago.

For connections, the bigger picture remains the same as last spring: keep her happy, pick the right targets, and keep Melbourne in view. Waller signalled a familiar path towards the Cox Plate while keeping options open for Aeliana, whose first-up run suggested she’ll have her own day in the sun.

Context matters with champions, and this was more than a seasonal pipe-opener. Via Sistina won this race last year, hit a snag on heavy ground in the Makybe Diva, and then reeled off a three-race streak capped by the Cox Plate.

To return from April, dive straight into a Randwick bog, and still out-duel a rising stablemate underlines why she sits atop the pecking order.

If she progresses as McDonald expects, the spring narrative again runs through her.

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2025 Group 1 Winx Stakes Replay – Via Sistina

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