- Via Sistina left its nervous connections
- Incident followed at Mooney Valley track on Tuesday
- The champion involved, New Zealand jockey James McDonald
Via Sistina is considered a real Cox Plate opportunity this weekend, but hearts were in mouths on Tuesday after the mare knocked superstar jockey James McDonald out of the saddle and galloped briefly around the famous Mooney Valley track riderless.
The dramatic incident unfolded shortly after 6.30am during track work, and both the horse and the hoop were unharmed.
Decorated trainer Chris Waller will wait until Saturday morning before making a final decision on whether the seven-year-old will jump from the barriers for the traditional 2040m Group One race, but was relieved she appeared fine afterwards. . the one who stayed was evaluated by a veterinarian.
Waller initially feared the worst after Via Sistina sent her around the iconic circuit without McDonald, who was left with “a bit of pain in her shoulder” after falling on the grass.
‘A bandage has come loose. “He stood on the bandage and a piece of equipment broke and he kind of tripped and that piece got caught in his hind legs and that gave him a scare,” Waller said. The age.
“She ran out of fear for a couple of laps and luckily there was a race director out there and he picked up the horse and she sat back down.”
‘He’s not missing a hair. There is no blood, they have not removed the skin.
“Our vet examined her and a Racing Victoria vet examined her thoroughly… I can’t believe it.”
Via Sistina connections were anxious on Tuesday after the mare threw superstar jockey James McDonald (pictured left) out of the saddle during track work at Mooney Valley.
The dramatic incident unfolded shortly after 6.30am, with the horse and hoop notably unharmed (pictured, a riderless Via Sistina).
Trainer and TV host Amy Yargi tries to stop Via Sistina after James McDonald was knocked down Tuesday in Mooney Valley.
Superstar jockey James McDonald was left with “a bit of soreness in his shoulder” after the incident (pictured, before the fall); he still hopes to ride the mare in the Cox Plate.
It comes after jockey Jason Collett was praised for his bravery and compassion after his horse collapsed mid-race at Sydney’s Royal Randwick last weekend.
Collett, 33, also lifted the lid on the first thing that crossed his mind after the fall, with Hoop immediately rushing to Think About It’s aid, after seeing the six-year-old gelding in some distress.
“I turned to the horse and was afraid I had done something to its leg, so I went to hold it,” he said.
‘If a horse tries to run on three legs, it is not good at all.
‘As I got closer, blood was coming out of his nose… I knew there had been a bleed, so I ran to his head and held him down.
‘I didn’t think he was gone for long. ‘Horses usually don’t survive that. I’m glad you did.’
Trainer Joe Pride paid tribute to Collett after the race and praised him for his quick thinking.
“When you get thrown around like that, it’s all about instinct; your natural instinct is what it would be if you had an accident, which is to check the person next to you,” he said when discussing Collett’s actions.
‘Jason has been around horses his entire life. I wanted to console him.
‘The vet examined the horse again on Monday and the heart is fine. Saturday was a pretty traumatic day for him, but he (Think About It) doesn’t seem too scarred by it.’