The Cox Plate scored one of its biggest wins, with Via Sistina taking a stunning win at Muni Valley. But that result is only part of the story after the seven-year-old gelding threw jockey James Macdonald during a run on Tuesday and left him fearing he may not race at all.
McDonald’s was not injured in the incident, but Yulong Investments owner Chris Waller said it was unlikely Via Sistina would participate in the 102-year-old event. The filly was revealed to run in Friday’s race, but few could have predicted he would dominate the field with a record victory, winning the $5 million event by eight lengths. The result gave McDonald his 100th Group 1 victory, making him only the fifth jockey to achieve the feat and, at 32, easily the youngest. Via Sistina was so dominant that Macdonald crossed the finish line in the stirrups, second to Prognosis and third to Broadsiding.
Veteran Channel 7 commentator Bruce McAvaney praised the performance. “Put that at the top of the list,” McAvaney said. “I’ve seen some amazing things at the Cox Plates. “J-Mac’s 100th Group 1 win. He won the Cox Plate three years in a row. It’s legendary. “Chris Waller is a genius and this trail is a champion. “I had a great performance in the Cox Plate. We will never see the things we are talking about again. what do you know “I’ve never seen anything better.”
According to commentator Jason Richardson, the performance was “Winx-like”, and Via Sistina broke Winx’s 2017 record by two seconds. “Chris Waller, can you imagine what it looked like on Tuesday when Via Sistina toppled James MacDonald and lost control at Money Valley?” Richardson said. An emotional Waller couldn’t control his emotions and couldn’t believe not just that Via Sistina had won, but by how much. “The truth is, when he woke up and James woke up, everybody else didn’t care,” Waller said. “Both the horse and James are very important. If he hadn’t succeeded, he’d still be alive, and James would still be alive.
McDonald couldn’t believe it either and said he wasn’t even sure if the Via Sistina would make it to the starting gate. “We thought our hope was lost,” McDonald said. “When I looked up and saw him running, it was a really great shot. We’d be amazed if this view could tell this story.” Macdonald, who has won the last two Cox Plates on Anamoe and Romantic Warrior respectively, said he wasn’t having a good time on Via Sistina. “It’s not easy,” McDonald said. “The road to 100 (McDonald’s Group 1 win) was really tough, especially because I was targeted every week and I couldn’t do my job in the Cox Plate… I couldn’t even imagine. It’s so surreal, isn’t it?
