Chris Waller would not rule out a Melbourne Cup run for dominant Cox Plate winner Via Sistina as the trainer basked in the glory of a fifth win in Australia’s weight-for-age championship.
“That’s not a problem we have to deal with today,” an emotional Waller told Idol Horse in the immediate aftermath of Via Sistina’s eight-length victory in which the seven-year-old Irish-bred mare smashed Winx’s track record by nearly two seconds.
Waller’s only Melbourne Cup victory was with another older mare, then six-year-old Verry Elleegant in 2021, after a third behind State Of Rest and Anamoe in the Cox Plate.
The Cox Plate has developed into a key lead-up race to the Melbourne Cup in recent years. The winner of the Cox Plate does not receive a handicap penalty and Via Sistina will carry 56 kilograms if Waller and her owners, Yulong Investments, elect to run on the first Tuesday in November.
Makybe Diva in 2005 was the last horse to complete the Cox Plate-Melbourne Cup double, but since then Efficient (2007), Green Moon (2012), Fiorente (2013), Verry Elleegant (2021) and Gold Trip (2022) have had their final lead-up run in the Cox Plate.
Waller deflected questions on a possible Melbourne Cup start but he was a relieved trainer post-race after an eventful week. Via Sistina dislodged jockey James McDonald in a trackwork mishap at Moonee Valley on Tuesday after a bandage on the mare’s off hind leg became loose.
Via Sistina galloped on her own for more than a lap of the circuit before being caught, unharmed, by a track attendant and Waller faced a tough decision on how to proceed.
In what proved a masterstroke, Waller not only elected to push on with Via Sistina’s preparation but brought her back to Moonee Valley for another gallop on Thursday.
“You just do your job and get on with business,” Waller said of his decision, adding that he felt some responsibility to ensure racing did not attract criticism during a time of year when the sport is under more scrutiny.
“I have an instinct, as most people would – just like a footy coach or a mother looking after a child. We tried everything we could to make what happened well-perceived, and doing everything right so that racing is seen in the best light,” he said. “A lot of the things we did were probably overkill but we just wanted to put on a good show and counteract what happened.”
It was the winning trainer’s fifth Cox Plate – drawing level with all-time great Bart Cummings for wins in the race and trailing only T J Smith with seven – but it was Waller’s first without Winx.
The victory drew obvious comparisons with the legendary mare, whose track record set in 2017 (2:02.94) was lowered by 1.87 seconds to 2:01.07.
“I grew up thinking the best horse wins the Cox Plate and my opinion hasn’t changed after that race today,” Waller said. “It’s completely different and what Winx did was out of this world … but she (Via Sistina) would have pushed her.
“It was very special.”
