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Rachel King pinched a winning lead on Sixties ($7) on the way to a half-length win from favourite Autumn Boy (Jason Collett), which made up several lengths late. With the strong finish, Autumn Boy firmed into $4.50 for the Golden Rose, and Sixties was into $15 from $51.
Waller assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth said Autumn Boy was “enormous”, carrying 58 kilograms first-up and defying the track pattern to make up ground. He said both would likely head to the Golden Rose.
“Two very exciting colts that we couldn’t be happier with,” Duckworth said.
Weighing up options for Autumn Glow
Waller will keenly watch the release of weights on Monday for the group 1 Epsom Handicap after Autumn Glow tightened her claims on the 1600m race with victory in the group 2 Theo Marks Stakes (1300m) at Rosehill.
The four-year-old mare, now into $1.80 for the Epsom on October 4, cruised to a two-and-a-quarter-length win over General Salute for jockey Kerrin McEvoy to remain unbeaten in six starts.
“She’s got to be the best horse in training who’s yet to win a group 1, but I’m sure that will come,” Duckworth said.
Kerrin McEvoy after winning on Autumn Glow.Credit: Getty Images
“Obviously the target was the Epsom, so it will be interesting to see what weight she gets in that. She’s still very lightly raced and should continue to improve. What her optimal distance is still to be seen. She’s got endless gears.”
Duckworth said options for Autumn Glow would be kept open.
“It all depends what the scale is [for the Epsom],” he said.
“If other horses gain weight, if there’s a really good horse at 50kg, so it’s just not about her weight. It’s probably more so the whole field and what other options she’s got.
“If she gets what we think is too much weight and draws the extreme outside, and there’s another option to win at weight for age, well, what are you gaining by potentially risking that streak?”
Manaal repays the faith
Randwick trainer Michael Freedman “hadn’t lost faith” in Manaal after a fruitless autumn and was now eyeing rich targets with the four-year-old mare following her half-length win in the group 2 Sheraco Stakes (1200m).
A $12 chance after three unplaced autumn runs and a first-up eighth in the Cockram Stakes at Caulfield, Manaal enjoyed an ideal run behind the leaders before Jason Collett put her into clear air. The Gimcrack, Sires’ Produce and Furious Stakes winner hit the front at the 100m and held off long-shot Dark Glitter.
“She just had wretched luck with barrier draws, she drew so many wide gates and had so many hard runs,” Freedman said of Manaal’s autumn campaign.
Jason Collett wins on Manaal.Credit: Getty Images
“Her run in the Coolmore here back in the autumn [when fifth] was an enormous run because she led, which she never likes doing, so I hadn’t lost any faith in where she was. But it was certainly great to see her back in the winners’ circle.”
He believed she would be “very, very competitive” if given a slot in the Everest (1200m) but said “there’s lots of good mares races around that 1400-1500m”. He mentioned The Invitation and Golden Eagle as potential targets.
Meanwhile, the Waller camp allayed any fears over favourite Joliestar after scratching her from the Sheraco.
Waller announced late on Wednesday that the five-year-old mare was his choice again to fill his slot in the $20 million Everest on October 18, but she was not scratched from her first-up race at Rosehill until race morning. She will now resume next Saturday in The Shorts (1100m) at Randwick.
“It wasn’t about having a slot or not having a slot, it was about mapping a path and she had a bit of an awkward draw today and next Saturday maps a bit better in terms of getting to an Everest,” Duckworth said.
“Next Saturday was the preference, to run there anyway. It will be The Shorts, then straight in. She’s a good fresh horse.”
Hyeronimus in clear over Vauban ride
Jockey Adam Hyeronimus was cleared after an inquiry into his ride on Vauban in last Saturday’s Chelmsford Stakes was concluded before the first at Rosehill.
Hyeronimus was questioned multiple times last Saturday at Randwick and again at Canterbury on Wednesday about the Chelmsford ride in which Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained stablemate Sir Delius, with Tim Clark aboard, was able to slot in ahead of Vauban and into a one-one position midway through the race, after being stuck three-wide.
Sir Delius went to finish second to Lindermann, with Vauban in third.
Chief steward Tom Moxon said rules AR129 (2) and (3) were looked at and the panel was satisfied that Vauban was “given full opportunity to win or to obtain the best possible place in the field”.
As for part three of the rule, “every horse must be ridden in such a manner to benefit only its own best interests and not to the advantage of any other horse or rider”, Moxon said: “We don’t think there is sufficient evidence to get to the standard that we would need to impose a charge under that rule.”
However, he advised Hyeronimus that he “needed to be mindful in races, particularly in cases where you have got stablemates racing around you, that any decision that you make obviously has that then potential to be perceived as you are riding in a manner to benefit or advantage another horse.
“A previous chief steward always would say, ‘it doesn’t only have to be right, it has to look right’. And whilst your riding of Vauban, you might have thought you were doing the right thing by it, when you look at the race, one could easily form the view there was team riding undertaken. But we haven’t suggested that.”
Northam open to Kosi calls
Scone trainer Rod Northam hoped Nova Centauri could push for the last spot in the Kosciuszko after a timely Highway Handicap win at Rosehill on Saturday.
The four-year-old Rubick mare raced behind leader Pony Soprano before taking over inside the last 100m of the 1400m class 3 for a three-quarter length victory for jockey Alysha Collett. It gave Nova Centauri a first Highway win, and three victories and three seconds in seven career starts.
Northam believed she would be more suited to the autumn’s 1400m Country Championships, but he was open to a late call-up into the 1200m $2 million Kosciuszko on October 18 at Randwick.
Slot-holders for the 14-horse race were drawn on Wednesday and the runners locked in were Compelling Truth (trainer Mack Griffith), Boston Rocks, Front Page (Matthew Dale), Bandi’s Boy, Highway Strip (Danny Williams), Clear Thinking (Paul Messara and Leah Gavranich), So Magnificent (Todd Smart), Lisztomania (Todd Payne), Gallant Star (Brett Robb), Golden Decade, Without Parallel (Matthew Dunn), Melody Again (Scott Singleton), Chidiac (Brett Cavanough).
Maher keen to avoid deep end
Maher was likely to target another benchmark race for promising stayer Juja Kibo after his win in the 2400m benchmark 78 but did rule out a shot at group 1 Metropolitan on October 4.
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“I don’t have to throw him in the deep end, whether the Metrop comes to quick or something like that, down in the weights, but we’ll see where his rating gets to,” Maher said.
Meanwhile, trainer Peter Snowden said Fire Star was stakes class after he returned with victory in the benchmark 88 (1100m) as a $23 chance.
And trainer Bjorn Baker said his promising Kiwi import Nkosi could get to stakes grade over time after a first Saturday win, over 1800m in benchmark 88 company, at his third start in Australia.
“It was a good win today and I think in time and over ground, he’s definitely going to be a stakes class horse,” Baker said.
