Chris Waller clinches Winx Stakes trifecta at Royal Randwick with mighty mares led by Via Sistina

It was easy as one, two, three for Chris Waller as Via Sistina led home an all-mares trifecta in the Group 1 Winx Stakes at Randwick.

Kerrin McEvoy rides Via Sistina to victory in the Group 1 Winx Stakes at Randwick. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

Via Sistina, Zougotcha and Fangirl provided trainer Chris Waller with an all-mares Group 1 trifecta in the race named after the greatest of them all, Winx, at Royal Randwick on Saturday.

Waller didn’t know where to look as his trio of outstanding mares sprinted to the finish wide apart in the first major of the new season, the $1 million Winx Stakes (1400m).

Kerrin McEvoy on Via Sistina took a “short cut” home near the inside to give Waller his eighth win in the weight-for race that was formerly known as the Warwick Stakes but was renamed in honour of Winx, a three-time winner herself in 2016-17-18.

Waller, who has now trained 162 Group 1 winners during his celebrated career, had a memorable afternoon at Randwick with his Winx Stakes trifecta the highlight and complementing Joliestar’s stunning Group 3 Show County Quality win and the earlier successes of Strathtay and Medatsu.

Via Sistina, formerly one of Europe’s top mares before being purchased by Yulong, has won two Group 1 races from three Australian starts.

She also won the Ranvet Stakes in autumn.

Via Sistina wins the Winx Stakes! She's in for a MASSIVE Spring 🔥 @[e-mail]/WNpMfXcEAj

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) August 24, 2024

“Oviously, she’s a very smart horse, and yeah, I’m privileged to be training horses like her,’’ Waller said.

“She’s a pick-up for our stable, the others are stalwarts and she’s beaten them today.

“It was a beautiful ride from Kerrin (McEvoy) he didn’t go around a horse, saved ground and had plenty of horse topping the famous Randwick rise, yeah, she was strong all the way to the line.

“I said to Tommy (Berry) on Zougotcha just to make sure you’re right there, that’s her normal style of racing, she travelled beautifully up to the 200m and just got caught on the line.

“Fangirl was having her first run for a while and got flushed into a tricky spot. The barrier draw wasn’t kind to her.

“It probably cost her more than Via Sistina but it was her first run back and she was terrific after a career threatening injury.’’

Via Sistina ($11) came from well back on the turn to run down Zougotcha ($6.50) and score by a half head with Fangirl ($2.40 favourite) a long neck away third.

The Waller stable trifecta led home the Ciaron Maher-trained duo of Semana (fourth) and Detonator Jack (fifth) with the stayers Zardozi (sixth) and the fast finishing Riff Rocket (seventh) producing pleasing comeback runs.

Kerrin McEvoy and Chris Waller with the Winx Stakes trophy. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

Waller has such a wealth of equine talent in his Rosehill stable for the spring carnival, his biggest problem will be trying to keep them from clashing too often.

With this in mind, Waller hinted that Via Sistina and stablemate Riff Rocket (seventh) may go straight to Melbourne for the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on September 7.

“It would mean Via Sistina will probably stay down there in Melbourne for the spring,’’ Waller said.

“But we are not losing anything, we will still have good representation in Sydney, but I need to split them up.

“Via Sistina is probably our No.1 seed for the Cox Plate unless Fangirl wins likes he she did in the King Charles (III Stakes) again.’’

McEvoy described Via Sistina as being like a “locomotive” after the mare charged to victory and gave the jockey the 85th Group 1 win of his career – 73 on Australian racetracks.

“It was a great win, she’s just a winner basically,’’ McEvoy said. “I’ve only sat on her once, which was last Saturday, and she was on her own, but she’s just a competitor.

“But Chris (Waller) just said look, she’s in really good form, the unknown was first-up at 1400m in this grade.

“So, I just wanted to let her tell me where she wanted to be in the run. She jumped in the air a little bit and got sort of back and ended up on the rail, inside Fangirl.

“I thought, I’ll cut the corner which made it a little bit easier, rather than James (McDonald) who got shuffled back a little and had to come wide.”

"She's just a winner basically"@KPMcEvoy wins the Winx Stakes aboard Via Sistina and talks us through the race that was! pic.twitter.com/4MwSoxuAUF

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) August 24, 2024

McEvoy’s decision to go back inside on Via Sistina saved lengths and proved decisive in the tight finish.

“I was happy to do that because I think the inside has been drying out all day,’’ he said.

“Then, Via Sistina really motored the last furlong. It was a fantastic training effort to see her do that first up at that level - the world is her oyster this prep now.”

Berry said Zougotcha “showed her versatility” with a brave effort to race on speed, forging to the front over the rise and defying her rivals until Via Sistina collared her near the line.

“There wasn’t a lot of speed in the race and she was outside the leader,’’ Berry said of Zougotcha.

“She was just beaten by a freak today. I was definitely not stopping. I’d love to see the sectionals of the winner. It was just too good on the day.”

Fangirl’s rider James McDonald said the mare lost no admirers in defeat.

“She is great, she has returned in good order. I was very proud of her effort,’’ he said.

Originally published as Chris Waller clinches Winx Stakes trifecta at Royal Randwick with mighty mares led by Via Sistina