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Source: ANZ News by Daniel Harrold
Chris Waller’s exciting two-year-old colt Autumn Boy (The Autumn Sun) cemented his credentials for further stakes-level success with a dominant performance in the Tattersall’s Stakes (Listed, 1400m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
The colt turned heads on debut at Canterbury on June 9 when he showed an electric turn of foot to run down stablemate and subsequent maiden winner Central Coast (Wootton Bassett) by 0.3 lengths at odds of $51.
With the cat out of the bag, the Glenn Ritchie-raced Autumn Boy lined up as a much shorter $2.70 favourite for Saturday’s Listed contest but again displayed his abundance of ability as he quickened to the lead with 200 metres left to run before powering 1.9 lengths clear of Sheza Alibi (Saxon Warrior).
There was a further 0.3 lengths back to Kujenga (King’s Legacy) in third place.
“Central Coast was $1.50 favourite that day and obviously that makes the market spread out a little bit more, and being by The Autumn Sun out of a Savabeel mare, you were thinking 1250 metres might be a bit short and sharp, but he was excellent that day,” Waller’s assistant Charlie Duckworth said of Autumn Boy’s debut.
“He’s just taken such a good step forward from his first trial to his second trial, and then to the race start, and then again he stepped forward massively today [Saturday].
“We don’t really know where the limit is with him, which is exciting and like any unbeaten colt, it’s what you get into ownership for and I’m sure the Ritchie’s will be loving it all.”
Having been ridden by Jason Collett on debut, Autumn Boy was steered home on Saturday by James McDonald and he insists the colt has plenty of ability.
“He’s a beautiful horse,” the winning rider said. “They’re lucky the JJ Atkins isn’t in two weeks’ time, because he’d probably win that race. He’s been a real sleeper, but he’s got plenty of ability and he showed that today.
“The stable has a high opinion of the other colt [Central Coast], so to beat him on debut was a big effort. He’s a very promising horse, and he will only keep getting better and better because he hasn’t really woken up yet.
“He does everything beautifully, he jumps well and had nice cover the whole way. He probably got to the front too soon but his acceleration was instant. He could be anything from a six furlong [1200m] to a 2000-metre horse, I wouldn’t want to pigeonhole him.”
Purchased at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale by his trainer and Mulcaster Bloodstock from the Amarina Farm draft for $200,000, Autumn Boy races in the colours of Ritchie, who made earlier this year when he purchased a Savabeel filly for $2.4 million at Book 1 of the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Sale.
He is the second winner out of the unraced Savabeel (Zabeel) mare Rosegarden, herself a daughter of Group 3 winner O’Reilly Rose (O’Reilly). This is the same family as Group 1-winning sprinter Shamexpress (O’Reilly) and Caulfield Cup (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Affinity (Zamazaan).
Autumn Boy’s success made him the ninth individual stakes winner for Arrowfield Stud’s The Autumn Sun who will stand for $66,000 (inc GST) this season, after not serving last season due to a pelvicinjury