Despite a slightly tougher challenge than her short odds suggested, Autumn Glow demonstrated her undeniable elite quality by clinching victory in the Champions Mile at Flemington.
This was the mare’s debut at the track and her first outing beyond Sydney, but any concerns about the change of environment impacting her performance were quickly dispelled.
Securing a win by 1ΒΌ lengths, Autumn Glow ($1.18) had to dig deep to overcome a strong challenge from her stablemate Lindermann ($16). As she surged past the gelding at the top of the home straight, she eased the nerves of trainer Chris Waller on the finish line in the prestigious Group 1 1600-metre race.
“I was (nervous) because you don’t want a horse like Autumn Glow to disappoint,” Chris Waller said. “There’s a massive crowd here today and it was good to see her go through her paces. She had to put up a fight. Lindermann, he dug deep and to come away that last 100 metres, it was special.”
Autumn Glow achieved a notable feat, becoming the 23rd horse to claim both the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes (1609m) and the Champions Mile in the same year. This victory also marked Chris Waller’s fifth win in the latter race, with his first coming with Albert The Fat back in 2013.
Her impressive career record now stands at 15 wins from 16 starts, accumulating over $14.5 million in prize money, with jockey James McDonald aboard for 11 of these triumphs.
“She was a little bit lost, at sea a bit, and even when we straightened and I gave her a click, she took about 50 metres to get going,” McDonald commented. “But once she opened the shoulders up, she was never going to get rolled. She’s just a brilliant specimen, a pleasure to ride, she’s just so, so special.”
The accomplished jockey concurred that the five-year-old mare is definitively Australia’s premier miler, and she required every ounce of that renowned determination to succeed at Flemington.
“I think so,” McDonald replied. “Now that she’s had this run here, it’s very foreign to her, but you look up at the Flemington straight, the roses, the people, she knew she was somewhere different and she was a little slow to balance and quicken up, but she’s a champion.”
He added, “Champions make their own luck in this game and she just plants herself on speed and away she goes. She’s an absolute pleasure to ride. A jockey’s dream.”
Buckaroo ($14) secured the third position, completing a dominant trifecta for the Waller stable.
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