Following the same template used in recent years by leading British-based trainer William Haggas, Chris Waller was delivered immediate success as Via Sistina made the perfect start to her career in Australia with a victory in the March 23 Ranvet Stakes (G1).
In 2020, Haggas sent over Addeybb to land the Ranvet fresh off the plane, a performance he followed up with a triumph in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) a fortnight later, while the trainer repeated that trick 12 months ago with Dubai Honour .
Waller made it clear in the run up to the Ranvet, he would be drawing inspiration from Haggas in his race planning with the Yulong-owned Via Sistina and he completed half of that ambitious mission with her triumph at Rosehill Gardens Saturday.
Sent off the $2.30 favorite for the six-runner group 1 event under James McDonald, the 6-year-old mare was confidently ridden in last before effortlessly sweeping down the outside in the home straight to score a cozy 1 1/4-length success over Place Du Carrousel , who also runs in the Yulong colors.
“Follow what William Haggas does and you don’t go far wrong,” Waller said. “Yulong are great, they listen, they know their horses and they’re gathering momentum very quickly.
“She is a different level to what we normally see in Australia. It’s a privilege to train her.”
Via Sistina, winner of the Pretty Polly Stakes (G1) and runner-up in both the Prix Jean Romanet (G1) and Champion Stakes (G1) when trained in England by George Boughey, was purchased from the Grove Stud draft for 2.7 million guineas (US$3,581,316) at the 2023 Tattersalls December Mares Sale.
Riff Rocket Soars to Rosehill Guineas Glory
Riff Rocket joined a rare and elite band of horses to have completed the top-flight double of the VRC Derby (G1) and the Rosehill Guineas (G1) with a fighting victory in the Sydney 3-year-old feature Saturday.
Since the Rosehill Guineas was pushed back from spring to autumn 45 years ago, only three horses have won it after taking the VRC Derby: Tarzino in 2016, Helenus in 2003, and the great Dulcify, in the first year of the scheduling switch, 1979.
“He’s a Derby winner and he’s a Rosehill Guineas winner, he’s showed touches of brilliance in between as well, so that was a pretty satisfying win today for the team,” Waller, trainer of Riff Rocket, said following his 159th group 1 victory—one race after chalking up 158th courtesy of Via Sistina’s triumph in the Ranvet.
Victory in the $750,000 feature brought a 70th group 1 win for jockey Nash Rawiller, who took the $2.70 favorite back from gate 7 to settle second-last of the 11, and began a sustained run three-wide about 700-meters out. He was the widest runner around the turn as race leader Ganbare and Cap Ferrat battled up front, and while Cap Ferrat looked a winning chance momentarily, Riff Rocket knuckled down from three lengths behind at the 200-meter mark to grind past him.
Hitting the front at the 100 meters, he had three-quarters of a length to spare on the line from Ceolwulf, with Cap Ferrat and Ganbare close up in third and fourth.
Riff Rocket is the only Southern Hemisphere horse among eight elite-level winners for American Pharoah , who stands for $50,000 at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud base in Kentucky.
Veight Scores Breakthrough Group 1 in George Ryder
On a red letter day for Yulong Stud and their stallions, powerful 3-year-old Veight became the first group 1 winner for his second-season sire Grunt—and stamped his own future breeding career—by storming to victory in the March 23 George Ryder Stakes (G1) at Rosehill.
Well ridden by Damian Lane, who found the one-one trail from barrier 8, Veight outperformed his 17 mostly older rivals in the weight-for-age feature, passing favorite Think About It to hit the lead at the 200 meters and then refused to let the remarkable Lady Laguna by him in a tooth-and-nail finish, eventually prevailing by a short head.
Veight wins the George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill Gardens
Militarize took third, adding a second group 1 placing to go with his three top-level wins, with Godolphin’s Golden Mile edging Think About It out of fourth place.
Trainers Tony and Calvin McEvoy and long-term partner Wayne Mitchell combined with leading agent Damon Gabbedy of Belmont Bloodstock to buy Veight from Sledmere Stud’s draft for AU$220,000 at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale in 2022.
“He’s a very good horse and has always been a good horse all the way through for us and these are hard to win, these races,” Tony McEvoy said. “His racing style and his manners go a long way and I’m very, very happy that he’s finally won one (group 1).”
Zapateo Blitzes Rivals in Galaxy
Outstanding sprinting mare Zapateo yielded yet another group 1 for Godolphin and a second top-tier success for her Darley sire Brazen Beau with a resolute victory in Saturday’s $1 million The Galaxy (G1) at Rosehill.
The mare was ridden to perfection by Kerrin McEvoy, who was enjoying his 83rd group 1 winner, one race after his agonizingly close second in the Golden Slipper (G1) on Coleman.
Zapateo defied the market as a $26 chance to narrowly trump $5.50 favorite Sunshine In Paris by a short head.
With 53 kilograms under the handicap conditions, the mare found the one-one from gate 8, and ground determinedly past ultimate third and fourth placegetters Front Page and Asfoora to hit the lead at the 50-meter mark.
Group 1 winner Sunshine In Paris then made things interesting by producing one of the few dynamic runs up the inside on the day to nearly nab victory, but it was Zapateo who prevailed with a sustained run, setting the second-fastest last 600 meters (:33.85) on the day’s good 4 track, and adding a top-tier success to her group 2, three group 3, and listed victories.
McEvoy praised the training effort of trainer James Cummings to turn Zapateo into a group 1-winning mare.
“He picked this race out. She ran a brilliant race in the Challenge and got in with a nice weight today. She’s just a tough, genuine and talented filly,” he said.
Imperatriz Nabs 10th Group 1 Win
Te Akau’s superstar mare Imperatriz took her Moonee Valley record to five wins from as many starts as she went back-to-back in Saturday’s William Reid Stakes (G1) at Moonee Valley Racecourse.
The Mark Walker-trained 5-year-old, who had previously finished second in the Newmarket Handicap (G1) under a 58-kilogram topweight, was brave again at the finish to hold off a strong challenge from $67 outsider Johnny Rocker to eventually score by a head, with a further two lengths back to the third-placed I Am Me.
Imperatriz has now raced in Melbourne on eight occasions, registering seven wins, of which six have come at group 1 level, while her overall elite-level-winning tally now stands tall at 10.
Imperatriz wins the William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley Racecourse
“It’s a great thrill, especially after the Newmarket,” Walker said. “She really dug deep that day and to come back here and do it at her favorite track, it is a bit of relief, really.”
Opie Bosson, who flew in from New Zealand to ride the mare, said after Imperatriz had been beaten in the Newmarket that she would be hard to beat at weight-for-age next start.
“I seemed to get in quite nicely behind Bella Nipotina and I thought she’d take me into the race, but she didn’t,” Bosson said.
“I had to make quite a long run, to be fair to her, down the side and when we turned in and she gets on that right leg going down the straight she is amazing.
“You can feel her picking up underneath you and once she balances up, she is all class. I’m glad she came out there and won the way she did.”
