'She's done nothing but improve' - Falmouth Stakes insight with Via Sistina's participation in major doubt

Connections of Via Sistina have been perusing every weather app going this week in the run-up to her first crack at Group 1 level in Britain and will leave it until very late to make a call about her participation depending on how much rain, if any, falls at the July course.

The five-year-old will need some help from above if she is to get her preferred ease in the ground with George Boughey set to make a final call in advance of Friday's race. The ground was changed to good (from good to firm) after the first race.

Via Sistina has headed the market for the Falmouth since her devastating breakthrough triumph at the highest level in the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh at the start of the month.

Boughey said: “We have worked as if Via Sistina is running but she needs the rain for her to run. The Falmouth has always been a plan for her as she does look very good on a straight track, but softer ground is key to her. There are lots of times she could run where she will get soft ground and we are not going to do anything that is not in the best interests of the horse.”

He added of the daughter of Fastnet Rock: “If it did rain, she will be very competitive. We will walk the track and if it is the same as Ireland last time I imagine she will take her chance, but if it is any faster she won’t. For her pedigree, if she was to win a Falmouth she would be pretty sexy.”

This year, Via Sistina has taken her form to new levels with an impressive victory in the Group 2 Dahlia Stakes on the Rowley Mile before her latest triumph in Ireland.

The Newmarket trainer added: “She settled in well last year but it wasn’t until she went to Henrietta Knight’s for the winter that she really reset. I’ve never been down there but it is obviously a super place to send them. We just turned her out with her shoes off to go and be a horse for a few months. She did great and immediately when she came back in I noticed a different horse.”

Via Sistina has done all of her winning at longer trips this year but Boughey is hopeful she can handle the drop back in distance to a mile. He added: “She showed a proper turn of foot in the Dahlia and I think over a mile she would be equally as effective.

“It's a bit of a question mark coming back to the mile as she hasn’t ever been there, but for her career going forward we want to try and keep some speed in her.”

Nashwa wins the Group 1 Nassau Stakes at Goodwood last season

Nashwa won two Group 1s last seasonCredit: Edward Whitaker

Plan B for Nashwa

Nashwa was a surprise addition to the line-up at a cost of £20,000 last weekend but the daughter of Frankel has more recent course experience than it would appear as she enjoyed a workout at the summer venue prior to her latest appearance at Newcastle.

Owned by Imad Alsagar, Nashwa was run down late by Al Husn over a mile and a quarter in the Group 3 Hoppings Stakes and she will be stepping back to a mile for the first time since breaking her maiden at Haydock in April of last year.

Joint-trainer John Gosden said of the two-time Group 1 winner: “Nashwa has taken her time to come to herself this year. She was a little too keen last time in the Group 3 at Newcastle.

“We thought rather than waiting around for a long time until the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood it would be better running her here at home and getting another race into her. I don’t think the mile will be a problem for her and she is quite versatile as regards ground.”

What they say

David Egan, rider of Ameynah
She had a gallop at the track the other day which went well and I expect her to run a respectable first race of the year. The boss [Roger Varian] wouldn’t be running her in a Group 1 if he didn’t think she would run well.

Ralph Beckett, trainer of Prosperous Voyage and Remarquee
Prosperous Voyage won the Falmouth last year and we are looking forward to running her back there. It didn’t go to plan for her at Ascot, as they went very slow and she’s a filly who likes to roll along. As for Remarquee, I’d been the Fred Darling route with Guineas fillies before and it hadn’t worked, and it didn’t work again with Remarquee, but that’s life. However, it was great to have her back to her best in the Coronation Stakes last time.

Ed Walker, trainer of Random Harvest
She has done nothing but improve. To think she was beaten in a handicap at Royal Ascot last year off 81, to then being narrowly beaten back there in the Group 2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes. It shows she has made giant strides. 

Thady Gosden, joint-trainer of Coppice
She has progressed nicely through the year and won the Sandringham well last time. She deserves to have a crack at a Group race on the back of that and she handles top of the ground as she showed at Royal Ascot.

Aidan O'Brien, trainer of Never Ending Story
She's well and we're going back to a mile with her. We thought at the Curragh that maybe the mile and a quarter was stretching her a little, maybe. She came out of the Curragh very well and we thought it was worth letting her take her chance.

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