‘Imagine what she would have won the Melbourne Cup by’: Via Sistina sets Flemington alight

Master trainer Chris Waller has no regrets in bypassing the Melbourne Cup with Australia’s queen of the turf Via Sistina after she claimed another major spring prize for record-breaking jockey James McDonald.

On a day that celebrated the stars of the track, there was a sad ending to the racing career of “the people’s horse”, Pride Of Jenni, who was retired after bleeding from both nostrils in the Champions Mile won by another popular galloper, Mr Brightside.

James McDonald wins the group 1 Champions Stakes at Flemington. Credit: Getty Images

The final meeting of Flemington’s famous carnival, and indeed the whole four days, belonged to McDonald, who, aboard Via Sistina, equalled his previous Cup week best of 10 wins as they blitzed the country’s best horses in the $3 million Champions Stakes.

If there was a regret in the week for McDonald – who fittingly signed off with win number 11 in the final race – it is that he will never know if he could have won the country’s greatest race with Australia’s premier horse.

“Imagine what she would have won the Melbourne Cup by,” McDonald said.

Waller said he had given “serious respect” to running Via Sistina over the two miles on Tuesday but decided against it as he believed it would have been asking too much of her.

Via Sistina’s 2¾ length romp on Saturday showed she had another top run in her after her epic victory in the Cox Plate, but did not prompt any thoughts of “what if” for Waller.

“In the end it comes down to your gut instinct,” Waller told this masthead. “She’s a brilliant 2000-metre horse – probably set the highest world ranking for the year.

“I just thought you have to protect her and make sure she continues it in her next run.

“I think this race was a safe play, whereas the Melbourne Cup was going into the unknown. We needed to race over 1200 metres beyond where she’s ever run before.

“[For] anybody with a respect for a horse or an athlete, pushing them to something they’d never run in ... I just dont think we’d be doing the right thing.

“[They’re a] great team, Yulong – they respect my decisions. We went through everything properly. Personally, I had no regrets.”

Tony Ottobre and Pride of Jenni at Cranbourne Training Centre recently.Credit: Wayne Taylor

Waller indicated that the $5 million group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick next autumn would be on the agenda for Via Sistina.

Last year’s Melbourne Cup winner Without A Fight had a promising return to the track, finishing third behind Via Sistina, and trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman said the horse would be hard to beat in the Hong Kong Vase over 2400m next month.

Pride Of Jenni’s owner, Tony Ottobre, notified media after the Champions Mile that he would be sending his wonder mare to the breeding barn after she bled and finished last behind arch rival Mr Brightside.

“I love Equinox as a sire and if we can, that’s where she will go,” Ottobre said.

At that stage, trainer Ciaron Maher was unaware that she had been retired.

It capped an emotional spring for Ottobre after Pride Of Jenni raced six times across 10 weeks for one win in the group 2 Feehan Stakes at Moonee Valley.

Ottobre was critical of a rival’s tactics when Pride Of Jenni finished second in the King Charles Stakes in Sydney last month, and then opted for a surprise jockey change leading into Saturday’s Champions Mile.

He replaced regular rider Declan Bates with Ben Melham after the pace-setting Pride Of Jenni had tired to finish 16-lengths eighth in the Cox Plate – a week after the Kings Charles Stakes.

The 2024 Australian Racehorse of the Year revolutionised racing across the past 12 months with her catch-me-if-you-can tactics and retired having won three group 1s and $10 million across her 34-start career.

Trainers are credited for making horses, but in the case of Will Hayes it might be the other way around. He has now won six group 1s in partnership with brothers Ben and J.D. since his 13-game AFL career was ended by Carlton’s list management team in September last year.

All of those wins have been delivered by Craig Williams and Mr Brightside.

“It’s as good as it gets,” Hayes said. “When you have a horse like Mr Brightside, it normally kicks your training career off in a pretty good way.

“I was very lucky in my first month of training – he won last spring, so it didn’t take long to have the first taste thanks to Mr Brightside.”

Hayes has signed with Carlton’s VFL side for next season because of his close friendship with coach Luke Power.

“It’s more as a physical release from training and a bit of a switch off. I still love my football, but it will only be a handful of games. Maybe six, max.”

McDonald’s win on Sunshine In Paris in the 1200m Champions Sprint was the first group 1 victory for Annabel Neasham’s partner in life and new training partner Rob Archibald.

“I feel bad – I wish Rob was standing here. I did ask him if he wanted to do it. He said, ‘no, I’ll do Sydney, but no’. [He] was the first person I rang as soon as she crossed the line and I know what that’ll be feeling like for him,” Neasham said.

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