Winx Stakes (Group 1)

CHRIS Waller landed the trifecta in the first Group 1 of the new racing season, taking out the A$1 million Winx Stakes over Randwick’s 1,400 metres (seven furlongs).

In a field of 14, where the Waller stable had six starters, it was the Irish-bred Fastnet Rock mare Via Sistina who prevailed in a driving finish at her first start since running second in the A$5 million Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes in April.

Kept midfield and on the rail, jockey Kerrin McEvoy rode an economical race on Via Sistina as Tropical Squall dictated the tempo. The winner’s stablemates Zougotcha took up second in running as Fangirl settled near the tail.

On straightening up, McEvoy had plenty of work to do as Zougotcha looked the winner a furlong out. Swamped in the final 50 metres, Via Sistina flew in the closing stages to win by a half-length over the Zoustar mare Zougotcha, as the Sebring mare Fangirl, the race favourite, stormed into third.

The trio of Waller mares all finished the race off impressively and look primed for future targets.

“She looked like a moose at the sales, big and backward,” said Via Sistina’s former owner Stephen Hillen who bought her for 5,000gns at the 2019 December Yearling Sales before she found her way to Chris Waller after Yulong paid 2.7million guineas at the 2023 Tattersalls Mares Sale.

Privileged

“Obviously, she’s a very smart horse, and I’m privileged to be training horses like her. She’s a pickup addition to the stable,” said Chris Waller after his second Group 1 win with the mare.

“The others are stalwarts and she’s beaten them today, but it’ll be a match race I’m sure in a few weeks’ time. It was a beautiful ride from Kerrin. He didn’t go around a horse, saved ground and she was strong all the way to the line.”

Equally impressed was Kerrin McEvoy after his first ride on the mare who is now second favourite for the Cox Plate behind Pride Of Jenni. “Chris just said look, she’s in really good form. The unknown was 1,400 metres in this grade, and first up,” recounted McEvoy.

“She really motored the last furlong, so a fantastic training effort to see her do that first up at that level, and the world is her oyster this prep now.”

THE Rachael Cunningham-trained The Good Fight proved far too strong in the A$400,000 Grand National Steeplechase at Ballarat last Sunday winning by 25 lengths over the 4,500m journey.

With the early pace set by Stern Idol, 30 lengths separated first to last on the final lap in the 12-horse field. Approaching the treble the final time at the back of the course, some urgency crept into Darryl Horner on The Good Fight as Stern Idol established a threatening 10-length advantage.

With three fences left, the 10-year-old High Chaparral gelding was joined by Leaderboard, the pair making headway quickly as Stern Idol began to run out of gas. As that duo swept to the lead, The Good Fight jumped flawlessly over the final two keeping a strong gallop in the straight, while Leaderboard weakened and Stern Idol was pulled out of the race before the final fence.

With a flourish of the whip by Darryl Horner, the final margin was handsome as Leaderboard ran second ahead of the 2023 Grand Annual winner Rockstar Ronnie.

“They all mean a lot, this one means a hell of a lot,” said Rachael Cunningham, who also trained Bee Tee Junior to the National win in 2020.

“I don’t get many opportunities to do this, so I just want to thank everyone, we’re a small team, there’s only a few of us and we all work so incredibly hard. This race has consumed us for the last month, I’d say, all of us.

“Sometimes when a plan actually works, you just need to take a minute and take a breath.”

Horner still in ICU after National fall

LEE Horner took a nasty fall in the Grand National Steeple, suffering a bruise on the brain according to the Victorian Jockeys’ Association. The 34-year-old Lee, the brother of winning jockey Darryl Horner, was transported to Royal Melbourne Hospital. His wife, trainer Amy McDonald said in a post on Tuesday that he wsa making ‘stady’ progress but had a long way to go.

Horner and Will Gordon came off after their respective horses Sky Hero and Bell Ex One were brought down by Mighty Oasis who fell at the 10th fence.

Will Gordon sustained a shoulder injury and Chris McCarthy on Mighty Oasis, escaped without injury, unlike his mount who had to be euthanised.

SINCE debuting over jumps in July, The Cunning Fox has strung together three consecutive wins culminating with Sunday’s feature hurdle at Ballarat, the JJ Houlahan Hurdle over 3,250m for trainer Patrick Payne on Sunday.

A six-year-old by Reliable Man, The Cunning Fox, with Aaron Kuru up, had to be patient as Texas Holdem got out to a 15-length lead on the soft rated track. With 1,000m to go Point Neapean set chase and got to the heels of the tearaway leader at the third last.

Jumping cleanly, Point Neapean had The Cunning Fox on his hip as the pair went to the lead, from where Kuru cruised up on the favourite, looking to have a load of horse left as Tommy Ryan was riding hard on the Shane Jackson-trained leader. Sneaking a break on the turn, The Cunning Fox built a handy break but Point Nepean kept him honest to the line, the final margin a half-length.

“It was a bit closer than we were hoping to see, but he really lifted hard, and it was just great to see,” said the 2015 Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Michelle Payne who is set to form a training partnership with her brother.

Tough way

“We looked quite comfy on the corner, but I’d watched him intently in the race, and he’d pulled quite hard, sometimes he didn’t have cover, he did it the tough way. I think that’s what found him wanting in the end, but it was a great ride.”

The win completed a running double for trainer and jockey after Nassak Diamond got the nod in the stewards’ room to overturn the result in the previous and win the A$50,000 Gotta Take Care Hurdle.

“Aaron obviously had the protest and no time to prepare,” added Michelle Payne. “It’s not easy for riders to have that sort of preparation going into a race like this, but he got the job done, and so did the horse. For Patrick and all the team, it’s obviously a big thrill.”