It is not certain that Melbourne Cup favorite Via Sistina will start next Tuesday; coach Chris Waller said no decision had been made yet following the stunning Cox Plate victory.

Via Sistina is the best horse in the world after an eight-length victory in record time at Moonee Valley last Saturday.

While Waller was trackside to watch the Spring Carnival unfold in Flemington on Tuesday, Via Sistina was enjoying some down time at a farm.

The Kiwi mentor, who trains legendary filly Winx and 2021 Cup winner Verry Elleegant, said Via Sistina’s connections were still deciding whether to take part in the epic 3,200m race on November 5.

Via Sistina, which was purchased by Yulong Investments for $5.5 million in December last year, broke Winx’s racing record in the 2.040 million Group 1 feature.

“It’s only been a few days since the (Cox Plate) race, so it’s a little early to make a decision,” Waller said on Tuesday. he said.

“So we need a few more days, it will be later this week.

“We’re still waiting to see how he gets through the run. “It was an incredible win.

“It was great to see him rated as the highest rated horse in the world, which showed just how good he was, so we are still enjoying the celebrations of this victory.

“Most importantly, it looks good in terms of seeing how he is as a horse, reaching his career best level and what that will bring out of him, but you don’t know for sure until a few days later, so we’re just trying to protect him to make sure it’s not a one-off.”

Jockey Damien Lane, who will ride another Waller-trained Cup mount Kovalica, finished second in the Cox Plate with Prognosis. He described Vis Sistina as a “freak”.

“He (Prognosis) was great and we couldn’t be happier with his run,” Lane said.

“We thought we executed the plan well, but that day we were defeated by a freak.

“Via Sistina was incredible… I wanted to run 2,000 meters as fast as I could and I did it and I was shocked when she passed me.”

The Group 1 Champions Stakes at Flemington on November 9 is another option for Via Sistina, who could otherwise target the $8m Hong Kong Cup (2,000m) in December.

European star Jan Brueghel was eliminated on veterinary advice on Tuesday. It followed a CT scan last Saturday.

A statement from Racing Victoria did not specify the problem, but said the four-year-old Irish driver was “at high risk of injury”.

Meanwhile, Gai Waterhouse insists Cup chances Just Fine will live up to his name after finishing last in Friday’s Moonee Valley Gold Cup.

“He’s an interesting horse,” Flemington’s Waterhouse said Tuesday.

“We went into the Gold Cup thinking he would run very well, hoping we wouldn’t get a (weight) penalty, and we certainly didn’t, so we came to a track where he was successful at 53 kilos.

“He was prepared for the Cup and this has happened before. Horses have run badly on different tracks and races and he is fine. He is fine.”

More than 30 horses remain on the Melbourne Cup acceptance list and the final field will be confirmed following a meeting at Flemington on Saturday.

AAP