“It’s hard to compare tracks, but the one thing I don’t think she likes is a shifty track, and that’s what she got in the Makybe Diva last year. It rained an hour before the race – it actually hailed an hour before the race – and it was a firm base; it was quite shifty, and she didn’t like it.

“But when she’s getting into the ground, which is where her English form comes in, I think she’s pretty good.”

He also took encouragement from Moore’s assessment of Via Sistina before her winning Australian debut in March last year.

“I remember Ryan Moore, he rode in the same race that she was in, in the Ranvet, and he said, ‘If she turns up and brings her best form she’ll beat this lot easy, and when you get her on a wet track she’ll be better again’,” Waller said.

“I’ve remembered that.”

Off an economical run, Via Sistina edged out stablemates Zougotcha and Fangirl in the Winx Stakes last year. This year Fangirl ($6.50), Aeliana ($7.50), Lindermann ($35) and Full Count Felicia ($41) will also contest the race for Waller, who trained the great Winx.

Randwick has copped about 150 millimetres of rain in the past week, casting doubts about the meeting, which also features the group 2 Silver Shadow Stakes, group 3 Toy Show and Show County qualities and the Premier’s Cup.

Waller hopes to get his star team’s spring campaign under way, and he believes his stars are well prepared. Unbeaten four-year-old mare Autumn Glow ($1.85), which returns in the Toy Show (1100m) against her own sex, is among his headline acts but is untested on heavy tracks.

“We want to see if she can sprint and, if not, we’ll quickly go down the mile path,” Waller said of his spring plans for the Epsom Handicap (1600m) favourite and potential Everest (1200m) runner.

“Because we’re well prepared, I’m prepared to try [her on heavy], but I would like to see no rain on the day [Saturday]. That would make everybody’s job easier, and it would make my job easier, getting them through the run.

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“I don’t want them slipping and sliding, being uncomfortable, but if they’re getting into the ground, that’s fine because they’re well prepared. They’ve had good preps – that goes for all of them – but with her, obviously she’s in no rush just to begin, and we have looked after her this far. But as long as it’s safe on the day, she’ll run.

“I think if they run, you’ve just got to be careful they don’t need to be backing up two weeks later.”

As for his other Winx Stakes entries, Waller said the heavy track would take away from Fangirl’s brilliance, “so I’m a little bit more concerned with her”. American mare Full Count Felicia is untried on the going but needs to build for longer targets and ATC Derby champion Aeliana will measure up as a multiple group 1 winner in the spring.