Winning Horse: Via Sistina (Ire)
Winning Trainer: Chris Waller (rep by Charlie Duckworth)
“She was fantastic today. Her run last start was so far away from her true form that you could do nothing else other than put a pen through it.
“So we were confident that she would bounce back today and she was tough. Obviously, Buckaroo is the man on the scene at the moment. He was going for three wins in a row and he’s dug deep and still been narrowly denied. So fantastic for the whole team.
“To perform like that, it’s pretty special for everyone involved with her.
“Fantastic for Yulong because they really stump up every time and they’ve got an absolute diamond.
Did they have to do anything specific to bring her back to condition: “We didn’t really panic because we knew it was so out of the ordinary. Obviously,we did all the normal things with getting her checked out thoroughly.
“We did all the normal things with getting her checked out thoroughly to make sure that there is nothing amiss.
“But ultimately, we knew we had a happy and healthy horse leading into today and that was the difference.
“I know everyone was sort of worried about the track and blamed it potentially on the track last start. But I think the tempo of the race and the time in which the rain fell made it into a real shifty track rather than a genuine soft track.
Buckaroo to the Caulfield Cup?: “It is a tricky one. Obviously, Ozzie Kheir and Qatar with Sheikh Fahad and David Redvers will make a decision whether they want to rematch around The Valley.
“He did make it pretty tough for her, or whether we step up to a mile and a half.
“We won’t worry about that today. We’ll just enjoy the win and enjoy the placings.
“Obviously, her 2,000 metre performance at the end of the carnival last year was fantastic. So that’s certainly in her sort of copy book and we’ll plot a path towards that.
Winning Jockey: Damian Lane
On the run: “She obviously was the class horse in the field and I rode her accordingly; albeit I still think she didn’t love the ground. It wasn’t as testing as last time out, so I think she can improve again under firmer footing.”
On keeping the ride: “Yeah, I’m not sure. If she goes straight to a Cox Plate, maybe I can’t, but we’ll see. I’m sure J-Mac (James McDonald) and K-Mac (Kerrin McEvoy) have got their hands up already, so yeah we’ll see where she goes and work it out from there.”
On the horse: “She’s just got a really big stride in her, she just lengthens I’d say. She just picks up and sustains a really good gallop more than lets rip. Buckaroo headed her and she was just really solid through the line, so yeah classy mare.”
Beaten Jockeys:
John Allen (Circle Of Fire): “I thought he was good, still a little bit fresh, a little bit keen, but I thought it was a good run for where he’s heading.”
Jamie Mott (Bois D’argent): “He was disappointing. He had a good run from an awkward draw, but definitely below par.”
Joao Moreira (Buckaroo): “He ran a fantastic race. It took him a really good horse to get him beaten.”
Michael Dee (Warmonger): “Definitely would have liked to see him hit the line a bit better than what he did today. So just see how he pulls up. May be looking for 2400 (metres) already.
Ethan Brown (Eliyass): “Solid run. He’s proved that he’s up to this grade. Probably chased a bit far from home. He’s probably blown out of touch with the gap between runs, but he’ll be all the better for the run in Melbourne, and he’s a very smart horse going forward.”
Mark Zahra (Atishu): “YShe ran good. She ran as good as she could. It was a good effort.
Koby Jennings (Huetor): “A little bit tricky to try and hold a spot on him. I think being that far back didn’t help his chances.
Luke Currie (Sharp ‘N’ Smart): “He had a torrid run. He was four and five wide early and then pressed on to be three wide. So he couldn’t do anything out there.
Jye McNeil (Young Werther): “He had a good run just behind the speed and performed to a good level to get in with a lightweight in a race like the Caulfield Cup.”
Craig Newitt (Francesco Guardi): “He ran really well. He’s progressing really well towards the Cup, so I’m sure once he gets out, he’ll be right.”
Ben Melham (Place Du Carrousel): “Had a sweet trip, breathed really well today. She produced at the right time.I expected her to hit the line a little bit better. She just laboured up the straight. Was ok after the line.“
Billy Egan (Bankers Choice): “He just wasn’t up to these horses.
Declan Bates (Duke De Sessa): “Good, tough run again by him. Obviously, we’re happy to sort of roll forward. He got a little bit lit up through the early stages, then settled well, and as I said, he was good and tough late. A few fresher horses on the scene late were running down.
Jordan Childs (Knight’s Choice): “Ran okay, I think he’s just looking out for further now.
Beau Mertens (Valiant King): “I thought he was okay. Obviously an outsider to the field. Had a lovely run through then, and I thought he maintained his gallop through the line well.”