A week that began with a dramatic unseat that put her participation in serious doubt ended with a mesmerising performance of pure brilliance from Via Sistina, who smashed Winx’s track record when dismantling the Ladbrokes Cox Plate field by eight lengths.

Many who witnessed the devastating effort at Moonee Valley on Saturday were quick to hail this as one of the great showings in the history of the AUD$5 million prize. It certainly isn’t difficult to see why.

Almost a year to the day that she finished second behind King Of Steel in the Champion Stakes at Ascot - her final start in Europe for George Boughey and Stephen Hillen - the Chris Waller-trained mare was essentially untouchable in what proved a record-breaking victory for winning rider James McDonald.

It brought up a landmark 100th career Group 1 win for the world-class jockey, who plundered the 2021 Melbourne Cup on Verry Elleegant. There was also the small matter of this being his third consecutive success in the Cox Plate - only the second rider to do so on three different horses.

However, things could easily have been much different earlier in the week for Via Sistina, sent off at odds of 4/1 for owner Yuesheng Zhang’s Yu Long Investments.

In footage that made for extraordinary viewing from Tuesday morning’s Breakfast With The Best public gallop at Moonee Valley, the daughter of Fastnet Rock unshipped McDonald after a piece of bandage came loose from her leg that she proceeded to stand on during the workout, causing her to stumble. Waller admitted he initially “feared the worst” for the six-year-old, though she luckily emerged unscathed.

Some feared significant damage could have been done to her Plate chances when she ran close to three laps of the track riderless just days before her biggest Australian assignment. As it turned out, the Curragh's 2023 Pretty Polly Stakes winner could have probably gone around three more times and the result would have been just the same.

The 2.7 million gns purchase from last year’s Tattersalls December Mares Sale - originally bought by Hillen for a mere 5,000gns as a yearling - absolutely bolted up in the iconic prize.

“It was a Winx-like performance. I can't believe it,” beamed McDonald, who was following up recent wins in the race aboard Anamoe (2022) and Romantic Warrior (2023).

“What this mare's been through, she's just an absolute star. I'm so lucky to be part of it. To Chris Waller and all his team… All of them, all of them, said - excuse my French - 'she'll shit in'.

"I love this race. I love this place. And to win a Cox Plate with Chris Waller, who is my greatest supporter, it's so special.

"It's so fitting he's brought up my 100th [Group 1] and to do it in such a prestigious race like the Cox Plate. I'm blessed, so blessed."

McDonald’s emotion was evident in standing up in the irons to passionately celebrate with 60 metres left to race, though the stewards didn't take such a positive view. They opted to fine him AUD$2,000 for his “celebratory gesture prior to the winning post”.

Waller was fighting back tears when giving his post-race debrief too.

“You just had to forget what happened on Tuesday - she's a good horse and I’ve just done my job to prove it," said Waller, who meticulously prepared Winx to win four consecutive Cox Plates from 2015 to 2018.

"The truth is, when she got up and when James got up, the rest of it didn’t count. If she didn't make it [to the Cox Plate] who cares? She's alive and James is alive. It was a great team effort from everyone to get here.”

Though it remains to be seen where she will run next - and a tilt at the race has not been confirmed by any means - bookmakers reacted by cutting Via Sistina to between 7/2 and 6/1 (from 25/1) for the Lexus Melbourne Cup on Tuesday 5th November.

It was a massive display to easily brush aside Japanese raider Prognosis (12/5 favourite), who two starts earlier was beaten a neck by Romantic Warrior in a Sha Tin Group 1, and Godolphin’s Broadsiding, Champion Two-Year-Old of Australia for the 2023-24 season.

However, the biggest compliment that can be paid to Via Sistina probably comes in breaking down the magnitude of this performance on the clock.

The now five-time Group 1 winner completed the course in 2:01.07 - nearly a whole two seconds faster than Winx's track record of 2:02.94 set when winning this race for the third time in 2017.

As trainer Michael Hickmott noted on X (formerly Twitter): “Via Sistina has run her last 1000m in 57.6 seconds. The Open Sprint was won in 57.44 seconds, with the winner leading and railing like a greyhound.

“To run that time at the end of 2,000m is freakish. Not a horse in the world in that distance range could have beaten her today.”

As for other British and Irish interests in the race, Docklands finished a respectable fifth without ever really threatening for Newmarket-based Harry Eustace, while Pride Of Jenni, partnered by Irish rider Declan Bates, put in a below-par effort as one of the market leaders in only beating one rival home in eighth.

Bates said: "I knew a long way out she wasn't taking me away from them, I was having to just ask her to do it a bit. She seemed to pull up well and hopefully she does, but she was a bit flat today."