Via Sistina locks horns with Dubai Honour in bumper Queen Elizabeth Stakes
Aiming for a phenomenal seven Group One victories in a season, champion mare Via Sistina is an overwhelming favourite for Saturday's Group One Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2,000m) at Randwick in Sydney.
British raider Dubai Honour, who holds an entry for the Group One QE II Cup (2,000m) at Sha Tin later this month, looms as the biggest challenger.
He has raced three times in Australia for three Group One victories, including his first-up triumph in the Group One Tancred Stakes (2,400m) at Rosehill on April 1.
The William Haggas-trained gelding, who finished second in last December's Group One Hong Kong Vase (2,400m) at Sha Tin, claimed the Group One Ranvet Stakes (2,000m) and then the Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 2023.
Via Sistina, Australia's Horse of the Year-elect, completed her last campaign with three consecutive Group One victories and resumed with a third in the Group Two Apollo Stakes (1,400m) on February 15 and then strung together Group One victories at her next two starts.
She's just the best!
Via Sistina makes it back-to-back Ranvet Stakes and notches up her 7th Australian G1 victory! ✌️@cwallerracing | @mcacajamez | @YulongInvest | @aus_turf_club pic.twitter.com/dqqaUCleXH — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) March 22, 2025
Victory on Saturday will equal champion mare Winx's record of seven of her 25 Group One victories achieved in one season. Chris Waller, who trains Via Sistina, also trained Winx during her extraordinary career.
Haggas' assistant trainer Issy Paul isn't underestimating the task Dubai Honour, who has drawn barrier 13 in the 15-horse field, faces as he attempts to win his fourth Australian Group One.
'To win a fourth would be amazing and to do two and two would really round it off,' Paul said. 'I think it would be a serious training performance if we managed to get this done.
'[Via Sistina] is obviously very, very good, and I would have preferred a draw that was slightly further in, but it is what it is. Obviously, not scared, but you are wary of them and respectful of them, and I just hope he can put his best foot forward.'
The Queen Elizabeth Stakes is one of 10 races the Jockey Club is offering for betting from Randwick this Saturday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
17 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
International Stakes a global affair as the Ebor Festival at York kicks off
Shogo Yasuda is hoping his star Danon Decile can climb the mountain to beat British, Irish and French challengers and win the Group One International Stakes (2,051m) race at York on Wednesday. Living up to its name, the International Stakes has attracted top-class horses from across the globe and Danon Decile, who will be ridden by Keita Tosaki, looks to have a brilliant chance. The four-year-old has been absent since a brilliant performance to down multiple Group One winner Calandagan and win the Group One Dubai Sheema Classic (2,410m) in April, where he quickened clear by a length and a quarter. It is easy to argue that he faces an even sterner test at York, but his trainer Yasuda is hopeful that despite the travel, his star can give his rivals a lot to think about. 🇯🇵 Japan dominating in Dubai Danon Decile powers to Sheema Classic success @RacingDubai #ダノンデサイル — Racing TV (@RacingTV) April 5, 2025 'Of course, I respect the European horses. It is not easy to travel from Japan, and we have a big mountain to climb but I believe, potentially, he can climb it,' said Yasuda. 'We have not run him again because of the extreme heat in Japan, but I am very happy at how he is now. He can get excited, but he is getting calmer every day he is here in Newmarket, and he seems to be enjoying the different environment. I feel he has a good chance.' At the top of the market, there is very little to split Ombudsman and Delacroix, who clashed in a titanic tussle for the Group One Eclipse Stakes (2,000m) at Sandown last month. On that occasion, it was Delacroix who benefited from a superlative ride from Ryan Moore to run down Ombudsman in the final strides and win by a neck. HK Racing News Get updates direct to your inbox Sign up Best Bets Racing News By registering you agree to our T&Cs & Privacy Policy Error: Please enter a valid email. The email address is already in use. Please login to subscribe. Error, please try again later. THANK YOU You are one the list. What. A. Race 🚀 𝑫𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒐𝒊𝒙 storms home to win the 50th running of the @Coral-Eclipse. That's three successive Eclipses for Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore 💫@coolmorestud | @Ballydoyle — Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 5, 2025 His trainer Aidan O'Brien was taken by his colt's fast-finishing run at Sandown and, at the weights, he is the one to beat. 'Delacroix's got a lot of speed and quickens exceptionally well. It's rare to see what he did, and is what sets good horses apart,' said O'Brien. John and Thady Gosden will be hopeful of a reversal with Ombudsman, however, as their Godolphin-owned Royal Ascot winner made an early move off a muddling pace before succumbing to Delacroix late. On this occasion, Godolphin will leave nothing to chance, employing Birr Castle as a pacemaker, and joint-trainer Thady Gosden is hopeful of a huge effort. WOW! OMBUDSMAN THROUGH TRAFFIC TO WIN THE PRINCE OF WALES'S STAKES! #ROYALASCOT — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 18, 2025 'He won at his first attempt in a Group 1 race and at Sandown was beaten by a top-class three-year-old. He's come out of that race well. He's such a genuine horse, has got the required speed, and hopefully will run a good race,' said Gosden. The French flavour is added to the race by Daryz, who is unbeaten in four career starts and was a smooth winner of a Group Two last time. Andrew Balding's filly See The Fire, a 12-length Group Two winner at York in May against her own sex, rounds out the field.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- South China Morning Post
HK racing off-season update: Harry Bentley gets Group One call up, Karis Teetan heads to Japan
Harry Bentley will bid for Group One glory at York this week. Photos: Kenneth Chan Alexis Badel will also compete in the World All-StarJockeys at Sapporo Racecourse this weekend Harry Bentley will press pause on his holiday to ride Spicy Marg in Friday's Group One Nunthorpe Stakes (1,000m) at York. The 33-year-old was back in the UK after a 31-winner campaign in Hong Kong last season but has received an unexpected call-up for one of the feature races of this week's Ebor Festival at York. The Nunthorpe commonly sees the younger horses take on their elders and Spicy Marg, just a two-year-old, will carry a tiny weight as she bids to become the first two-year-old since Kingsgate Native in 2007 to win the prize. Bentley will have to get down to just 8st 2lb to take the ride, but he did not need too much convincing by trainer Michael Bell to take the ride. Spicy Marg working at @NewmarketRace this morning under @HarryBentley_ ahead of the @coolmorestud Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes at @yorkracecourse next week 🚀 — Sporting Life Racing (@SportingLife) August 15, 2025 'It was a very pleasant surprise, it was a bit of divine intervention to get the ride,' Bentley told Luck On Sunday. 'I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, seeing Michael Bell in the owner's room, and a couple of days later he rang me and asked if I was able to do the weight, would it be of interest to ride Spicy Marg. 'Obviously I was very happy to take the ride. I wouldn't say it's comfortable [riding at 8st 2lb] but I can certainly do it. I'm doing light weights very often in Hong Kong, so getting down to this sort of weight is fairly routine for me.' With the ride secured, Bentley is also hunting around for further opportunities at York this week before his return to Hong Kong. 'I'm certainly trying to get some more opportunities – I'm hoping to ride on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and I've got my agent Paul Clarke on the case to try and further bolster my book of rides,' added Bentley. Badel and Teetan join All-Star line-up in Japan Alexis Badel and Karis Teetan will compete at the World All-Star Jockeys (WASJ) at Sapporo Racecourse in Japan this weekend. Badel, who has been based out in Japan during the off season, will also be joined by Craig Williams, who rode Cap Ferrat to Group One glory in Hong Kong this season. It will be another competition for Teetan this off season, with the Mauritian also forming part of the Rest of the World team at the Shergar Cup meeting at Ascot earlier this month alongside Hugh Bowman. Joao Moreira won the event 12 months ago, with Teetan finishing fifth and Vincent Ho Chak-yiu finishing eighth. Bowman and Teetan fall foul of Ascot stewards The enormous difference between the whip rules in Hong Kong and the UK was highlighted last week when Hugh Bowman and Karis Teetan were banned for a combined 20 days for breaching the rules. Bowman, who won the Silver Saddle after being the leading rider at the meeting, was hit with 12 days for using his whip once above the permitted level, in the incorrect place and without giving one of his horses enough time to respond. Teetan was slapped with an eight-day ban for using his whip once above the permitted level.
RTHK
12-08-2025
- RTHK
Sabalenka outlasts Raducanu in Cincinnati thriller
Sabalenka outlasts Raducanu in Cincinnati thriller Sabalenka was put to the test against Emma Raducanu in a gruelling three-hour contest. Photo: Reuters Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka fought through a three-hour battle to hold off an inspired Emma Raducanu 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/5) and reach the fourth round of the ATP and WTA Cincinnati Open. The top seed, who won the Cincinnati final a year ago over Jessica Pegula, increased her lead at the top of the WTA Tour match-win statistics as she secured her 49th of the season. But the struggle was real for Sabalenka, who finished with two aces in the closing stages. "I'm happy to get through this difficult match," Sabalenka said. "I just hope tomorrow is a day off. I need time to recover from such a great battle." Raducanu put up a huge fight, matching Sabalenka throughout. The British number one survived a 25-minute eighth game of the final set, which went to 13 deuces, with Raducanu saving four break points before finally holding for 4-all and eventually into a tiebreaker. But Sabalenka squeezed out victory with a sixth ace for 5-4 in the breaker and delivered her seventh on second match point to bring the battle to a close after three hours and nine minutes. "It was all about momentum," Sabalenka said. "I took some risks at the end, went for crazy shots, went to the net. "A risky game from me helped to put a lot of pressure on her," she said of an opponent whom she hugged warmly at the net. Sabalenka is bidding for her 10th trophy at the 1000 level and second this season after winning at Madrid. In other third-round results at the last major tuneup prior to the US Open, Ekaterina Alexandrova defeated Australian Maya Joint 6-4, 6-3. Sorana Cirstea defeated Yuan Yue of China 6-7 (2/7), 6-4, 6-4 and will next play third seed Iga Swiatek, who got a walkover into the round of 16. Spain's Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, a quarter-finalist this month in Montreal, made further hard court progress with a 6-4, 6-1 thrashing of American wild card Taylor Townsend. Her next opponent will be Sabalenka on Wednesday. In the men's draw, seventh seed Holger Rune, a semi-finalist here a year ago, ended the hopes of Alex Michelsen with a 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 victory. Felix Auger-Aliassime got a win for Canada, advancing 7-6 (7/4), 4-2 when French opponent Arthur Rinderknech retired with apparent heat illness after two gruelling hours on court. American Frances Tiafoe advanced past Ugo Humbert of France 6-4, 6-4 in 82 minutes. (AFP)
