What makes the sport of horse racing so endearing to its fans is our fondness for the champions of the turf.
We remember the first horse we fell in love with. The one we backed every time it went onto the track, regardless of its current form.
In this sport, luck plays a huge part in whether a horse wins or loses.
We have only a calculated assessment of the athletes body language to give us a guide to their attitude and likely performance on the day.
We rely on the pilot of the animal to steer the horse in the right direction, at the right time and with the correct amount of force.
Every now and then a horse comes along that limits the amount of luck needed because of their natural physical ability as well as attitude to racing and that’s when we fall in love.
Some of these champions can sustain it for the entirety of their career, and some for a season.
Via Sistina burst onto the Australian racing scene this time last year and had an immediate impact.
This Saturday, on day two of The Championships, in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, she can match Winx’s record of seven group 1 wins in a racing season.
It’s one of the best single seasons in Australian racing history but here are a few that have been better.
Winx 2015/16
Theo Marks Stakes, Epsom Handicap, Cox Plate, Apollo Stakes, Chipping Norton Stakes, George Ryder Stakes, Doncaster Handicap
She was a freak of nature and it’s hard to envision how a race horse could be better.
Once it was blatantly obvious there wasn’t a horse alive that could beat her, the opponents thinned out and her autumn and spring campaigns became a bit of a procession.
Especially under weight-for-age conditions.
Which is why I haven’t chosen the season where she won seven Group 1 races, rather 2015/16 when she was at the start of her dominance and won our two best handicap mile races as well as her first Cox Plate.
Black Caviar 2011/12
Schillaci Stakes, Moir Stakes, Champions Sprint, Australia Stakes, C.F Orr Stakes, Black Caviar Lightning Stakes, Robert Sangster Stakes, The Goodwood, Golden Jubilee (UK).
Peter Moody was a little more willing to challenge his champion mare than Chris Waller was with Winx if we are being honest.
It’s safe to say that nerves and pressure don’t get to Moods often but during her unbeaten career there were signs he was on edge a little.
A few more darts were smoked than usual.
Just like Winx, the better horses started to avoid her and the task got easier with every start when the field sizes were so small.
So Peter Moody decided to travel his mare right across the country and this season in particular was so dominant considering she went to Adelaide, to 1400m for the first time and then culminated with a win on the other side of the world.
Weekend Hussler 2007/08
Caulfield Guineas, Coolmore Stud Stakes, Oakleigh Plate, Newmarket Handicap, Randwick Guineas, George Ryder Stakes
The career of the Ross McDonald trained Weekend Hussler was short but incredibly sweet.
The son of Hussonet won 12 of his 21 career starts and nine of them came during his three-year-old season where he was crowned Champion Racehorse Of The Year.
He broke his maiden Cranbourne in September 2007 and by the end of the racing season had added six Group 1 races from 1100m to 1600m.
Three of those Group 1s were against the older horses.
An attempt to get him out over a distance didn’t fully go to plan during his next campaign but his single season in 2007/08 is one of the greatest of all time.
Anamoe 2022/23
Winx Stakes, George Main Stakes, Caulfield Stakes, Cox Plate, Apollo Stakes, Chipping Norton, George Ryder Stakes
He was a truly incredible colt and entering his four-year-old season he was already a three time Group 1 winner.
It was during the 2022/23 season that Anamoe really came into his own, scoring six Group 1 victories including avenging his loss in the Cox Plate that was cruelly denied by the stewards a year earlier.
Shooting to equal Winx’s record of seven Group 1 wins in a single season in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes it was Dubai Honour who spoiled the party.
William Haggas has made a habit of beating the Australian Horse Of The Year in that particular race as his horse Addeybb beat Verry Elleegant just a year previous.
Will he do it again to Via Sistina on Saturday?