A host of Chris Waller’s established equine stars, led by the magnificent mare Autumn Glow, commenced their spring campaigns at Randwick on Monday morning.
Group 1-winning horses trained by Waller were prominent in the first three trials, all contested over 900 metres on the main racing surface. These trials were rescheduled from Friday due to inclement weather.
In the initial trial, Autumn Glow secured third place behind the dominant winner Napoleonic. Approximately ten minutes later, another star mare, Aeliana, finished fourth in a trial won by stablemate Barnavara.
The trials occurred more than a month prior to their anticipated race returns. Autumn Glow is scheduled to make her comeback in the $1 million Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m) on August 22. Waller indicated that the preparation for the horses competing today will intensify in the coming weeks.
“The Winx Stakes is about five weeks away, so we’ve still got a long way to go,” Waller commented. “They will only start to get tuned up after their second trial. It’s all about blowing the cobwebs out and making sure everything is good, keeping them mentally right, and being ahead of it.”
Autumn Glow was initially prominent in her trial before jockey James McDonald eased her back to settle second last, with only stablemate Autumn Boy behind her. She remained in this position until the final 200 metres, where she was encouraged by McDonald to gain ground and narrowly secure third place on the line, edging out stablemate Lady Shenandoah.
McDonald also partnered Aeliana, who cruised to the finish in her trial, maintaining her position for the majority of the workout. She finished 4-1/4 lengths behind Barnavara, whose sole Australian start resulted in a fourth placing in the Neville Sellwood Stakes (2000m) under McDonald’s ride.
Kerrin McEvoy rode Aeliana in Monday’s trial. However, Waller revealed that McDonald had been involved in her recent work, and his positive feedback had fuelled excitement for the French Group 1 winner’s return.
“She has put on about thirty kilos, so she looks like an Australian horse,” Waller stated. “James is rapt. He says she feels like a completely different horse. That’s exciting.”
Wootton Verni, another Waller-trained contender, claimed second place in Trial 2. Dual Oaks winner Ohope Wins also participated in this heat, finishing just behind Aeliana.
In the third trial, jockey James McDonald guided the injury-affected import Soulcombe, who finished strongly to take third place, less than a length behind the winner, Screen Icon. Soulcombe has faced tendon issues over the past couple of seasons and has not raced since finishing second to Without A Fight in the 2023 Melbourne Cup.
Chris Waller is set to present additional stars at the Warwick Farm trials scheduled for Tuesday. Angel Capital, Beiwacht, Campione D’Italia, and Fireball are slated to have their initial trials of the preparation in a 900m workout on the course proper.
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