Weather won’t be the concern it was 12 months ago for Chris Waller and his superstar mare Via Sistina as she lines up again in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington.
Last year, hail and rain turned the track into a heavy surface, and Via Sistina could manage only fifth behind Mr Brightside – her only finish outside the placings in 12 Australian runs. Since then, she has collected nine Group 1 titles and was crowned Australian Champion Racehorse of the Year. This weekend’s forecast is far kinder, with a Good 4 rating and a cool, cloudy 18-degree day predicted.
“Last year there was a lot of hail, and I wouldn’t expect that again,” Waller said. “I remember seeing the track and it was covered in ice, and I think it might have even happened at the barriers, and she just never travelled. We thought first-up (in the Winx Stakes), she doesn’t like wet tracks because she didn’t like the track at Flemington that day, but that wasn’t the case at all. It was very unusual circumstances last year.”
Via Sistina’s preparation was slightly altered after stablemate Treasurethe Moment was scratched from the Makybe Diva following a colic scare. Rather than trialling on Tuesday, she galloped at Rosehill and will float to Melbourne midweek. “Now it’s only three weeks between runs, so we galloped her left-handed at Rosehill on Tuesday,” Waller explained. “She’s come back in good shape and we’re looking forward to Saturday’s race at Flemington.”
Among her challengers is Aeliana, also from the Waller stable, who ran second to Via Sistina in the Winx Stakes first-up. Already a winner of the Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes during last year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival, Aeliana galloped on the Flemington course proper this week with stablemate Lazzura. “She’s a very good horse, how good we don’t know,” Waller said. “Saturday will be interesting. A mile second-up, she’s still probably a run away from her peak, which may not be until 2000 metres or 2000 metres plus. I couldn’t be happier with her.”
Waller added that both mares are being primed for races beyond 2000m later in their campaigns. “They’re both peaking to get to their third and fourth runs at their top,” he said. “They’ll have tough runs if they’re fighting out the finish, but it’s not going to hurt them as they’re not at their best distances yet. Lining them up to get over 2000 metres, there is improvement to come and I’m happy to be lining them up against each other at a mile and obviously taking on better horses as well.”