‘She’s a champion’: Autumn Glow cruises to victory for perfect 11
Craig Kerry
Chris Waller declared Autumn Glow a champion, and James McDonald said he “wouldn’t be shying away from any horse in the country” with the unbeaten mare after she destroyed her rivals in the group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
The four-year-old, a $1.28 favourite, took her perfect record to 11, sitting back off a solid tempo before rounding the field on the home turn and cruising to the front.
She cantered to the line in a two and three-quarter length win over defending champion Gringotts, with Pericles in third.
The victory came after McDonald and Waller combined to win with Aeliana (Ranvet) and Autumn Boy (Rosehill Guineas) and break the group 1 Australian record for a jockey-trainer combination. They went to 56 with Autumn Glow’s success and McDonald moved to 131, pushing beyond Damien Oliver’s record of 129.
“To get that out of the way and then to deal with a champion in the next race, it’s pretty special,” Waller said of McDonald’s ride.
“Yeah, I’m sure he got a good kick out of it.
“In my eyes she is [a champion] – I’m qualified to know what one’s like. She’s a very talented horse. Obviously, longevity is the key now. If she keeps doing that, she’ll be a champion for sure.”
The question remains whether Autumn Glow will go to the $4 million Doncaster Mile with 56.5kg and take on boom filly Sheza Alibi (49kg) or go up in distance to the 2000m, $5 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
“We’ll give them our best opinion of what we think,” Waller said of Autumn Glow’s owners, John Messara and Hermitage Thoroughbreds.
“Look, she just does everything so effortlessly. That’ll help her get 2000m. It’d be so good to get some feedback from James.”
McDonald said: “I’m sick of bloody pointing where she goes. I’ll let [Waller] decide, and John will decide and we’ll go from there. Put it this way, I wouldn’t be shying away from any horse in the country.
“People are here to come out and see her, and she’s got such an amazing fanfare now – it’s growing. It’s incredible. The feeling you get off these horses and it’s special to witness people pin their eyeballs on her. I thought Anamoe was a big deal. This horse has taken it to a new level.”
In the last group 1 of the day, last year’s Golden Slipper winner, Marhoona, added a second major to her CV in a blanket finish. The win was a boost for Kerrin McEvoy, who recently returned from a broken foot.
The Michael Freedman-trained filly beat Jedibeel by a head. Mazu was a short head further back in third.
“I don’t think I’ve had a horse that’s just got as much tenacity as she does,” Freedman said. “She sort of looked out on her feet at the 100 metres there and she just refused to lay down, a bit like the Slipper last year. What a filly.”
Jason Coyle-trained Catch The Glory won the last, the group 3 Birthday Card Stakes.
Freedmans find key to Beskar
Less proved more for trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman with Beskar after the Snitzel gelding claimed the listed Darby Munro Stakes (1200m) for three-year-olds as an $81 shot at Rosehill on Saturday.
Damian Lane took Beskar from gate 13 to spot in behind the leaders and he let down well to beat Agarwood by three-quarters of a length.
Anthony said Beskar “should never have been that” price, given he was third last start in the group 3 Zeditave Stakes. He was still surprised by the performance from Beskar, which had only one win, on debut at Geelong, from seven starts before Saturday.
“We’ve always had a bit of an opinion of him,” Anthony said.
“He went to Queensland last year, copped terrible tracks, we gelded him and he’s had a few issues. He’s sound now and we train him very differently. We don’t do any work with him. It takes a while to work some horses out.
“He’s one of those horses that’s probably never 100 per cent, but you get him as good as you can and keep him happy, and don’t work him.”
WA performer fires in the east
Lindsay Park was weighing up the options for WA Oaks and Derby winner Machine Gun Gracie after she dominated the group 3 Epona Stakes (1900m) in her second run for the Victorian stable.
The $45,000 yearling buy, Machine Gun Gracie came the Hayes brothers from WA trainer and part-owner Justine Erkelens and was ninth first-up in the Matron Stakes at Flemington. A $17 chance on Saturday in her first Sydney run, she raced outside the lead before beating Polymnia by two lengths for jockey Luke Currie.
“She’s gone from strength to strength, and she’s got plenty of upside,” JD Hayes said.
“She’s got plenty of X factor, she’s a lovely big horse, she’s every bit of 17 hands. I think a mare of her calibre, we’ve got plenty of options.”
Ible’s Derby hope on the rise
Kembla Grange trainer Joe Ible’s faith in Barrengarry was justified when the promising stayer took the step from a provincial maiden win to a Midway Handicap success on the way to a Queensland Derby campaign.
The Ghaiyyath gelding, a $7.50 chance, came from back and wide in the field to surge late to beat Tenderize by a half neck and take out the benchmark 72 1500m Midway under Zac Lloyd despite racing greenly at times.
The win on Slipper day was a thrill for Ible, who had just five city wins before the impressive fourth start from Barrengarry and has yet to claim a stakes race.
Ible said the group 3 Frank Packer Plate (2000m) on April 18 at Randwick was a likely next run for Barrengarry on the way to his group 1 Queensland target.
Mr Monaco en route to Sydney Cup
Ciaron Maher will look to Piggyback in next week’s Tancred Stakes as another Sydney Cup prospect after Mr Monaco stamped his credentials for the April 11 feature with a tough win in the group 3 Manion Cup (2400m) on Saturday.
Well backed into $5.50, Mr Monaco raced three wide without cover from a wide gate but still had enough late to beat Taramansour by a long head. Stablemate Juja Kibo was a close third and Maher said he could go to the Chairman’s Quality on April 4 to make his way to the cup.
“Maybe he’s better without [cover],” Maher said of the winner, which gave jockey Zac Lloyd an early double.
“Circle Of Fire won the [2024] Sydney Cup sitting three-wide outside the speed, and our way is cover, relax and finish, but some of these European horses, like that one, he might be similar.”
“The Sydney Cup is a handicap and we snuck in Circle Of Fire through the Chairman’s, but this one probably goes straight in given how well he stayed today.”