Written by Jessica Owers
Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
The Autumn Sun is one of 24 first-season sires in Australia right now and, on Tuesday morning at Hawkesbury, he had a smart trial winner in the shape of 2-year-old colt Sunlord, trained by John O’Shea.
This youngster, much in the mould of his sire, lined up in Heat 10, one of four juvenile trials across the morning, and he rattled home with jockey James McDonald by 0.09l from the Matthew Vella-trained Silver Arrows (Flying Artie) and the Hawkes-trained Bonding (Snitzel).
Sunlord, trained by John O'Shea, winner of Heat 10 | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
It was the very first track appearance for Sunlord, who ticked over his 800 metres on the turf course in 47.58s. It wasn’t the fastest of the four juvenile trials, but McDonald hurried his mount out of the gates only to sit back in the middle stages of the sprint. Sunlord was pushed along in the final stages and his victory, in the end, was tenacious.
The bay colt boasts a pretty good pedigree.
He is a half-brother to the triple Group-winner Splintex, a son of Snitzel whose victories included the G2 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint S., G2 Bobbie Lewis Quality and G3 Hall Mark S. In May last year, Splintex was announced for stud duties at Darling View Thoroughbreds in Western Australia, where he would join Playing God and Patronize in the barn.
Sunlord is also a half-brother to the Exceed And Excel filly Invictus Salute, a winner of the Listed Starlight S. in Sydney, and also to Acqume, a daughter of Sepoy that was Listed-placed.
Sunlord as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
This is a very contemporary family.
The first dam on Sunlord’s page is Acquired (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}), who herself was stakes-placed but a half-sister to the G2 Reisling S. winner Hips Don’t Lie (Stravinsky {USA}), in turn the dam of Coolmore’s freshman sire and well-patronised new stallion Acrobat.
Included in this immediate family is the likes of the Group 3 winner No More Tears (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}), plus Acrobat’s stakes-winning siblings Ennis Hill (Fastnet Rock) and Lake Geneva (Fastnet Rock).
Sunlord was bred by Ron Gilbert’s Highgrove Stud in the Darling Downs, and he was consigned to the 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. He was bought by O’Shea for $400,000.
The Autumn Sun | Standing at Arrowfield Stud
He was one of 29 yearlings by The Autumn Sun in that particular catalogue, with O’Shea also coughing up for the most expensive of them, a colt from Axiomatic (O’Reilly {NZ}) that was sold by Torryburn Stud for $750,000.
Heat 11: He’s got legs
Capitalist has continued to shape his ‘sun’s out, guns out’ season lately, turning out race and trial winners on good summer ground. On Tuesday morning, he had Legolas, a Bjorn Baker-trained gelding, lead home the second juvenile trial at Hawkesbury.
Legolas, trained by Bjorn Baker, winner of Heat 11 | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Legolas was last on debut in the G3 Breeders’ Plate behind Empire Of Japan (Snitzel), but after a rest he’s been third and now first in a pair of smart trials. On Tuesday, he was a winner of Heat 11 in 47.29s for the 800 metres, the last 600 metres in 33.91s with jockey Rachel King.
Legolas is the first foal from the New Zealand stakes-placed mare Elfee (NZ), a daughter of Iffraaj (GB). Elfee is a half-sister to One Cool Queen (One Cool Cat {USA}), who was second in the Listed WATC One Thousand Guineas. The third dam on this page is a three-quarter sister to the dam of Barathea (Ire), a Champion Group winner in three countries and successful sire in Australia.
Legolas was bred by Mullaglass Stud and consigned to the 2022 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale by Valiant Stud. He fetched $140,000 when selling to Darby Racing, in whose colours he races.
Legolas as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
On Tuesday, he led home the Sooboog filly Gold Lover and the Ribchester (Ire) filly Carveti in a small field that also included the Godolphin colt Vetiver (Sidestep) and the Prized Icon filly Sophieinthesky.
Heat 12: Harron gelding a Gun
The James Harron colours were sported on Tuesday morning by the 2-year-old Extreme Choice gelding Gun, who led home the six-horse Heat 12 with jockey Keagan Latham.
Two-year-old Gun is trained by Michael Freedman and, since his trial debut in the early spring (on that occasion following home last weekend’s good winner Don Corleone, another son of Extreme Choice), he has improved steadily to Tuesday’s winning effort.
Gun, trained by Michael Freedman, winner of Heat 12 | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
He galloped home with a 0.5l lead over the Bjorn Baker filly Glad Rag Doll (Exceed And Excel), with 2.5l to the Godolphin colt Stanislaus (Exceed And Excel). The time was 47.26s, the last 600 metres in 33.77s. It was fractionally faster than Legolas and the fastest of the 2-year-old trials.
It’s interesting that Gun is a gelding, owned as he is by the James Harron Bloodstock Colts syndicate in partnership with others, including Love Racing and G1G Racing and Breeding.
As a weanling, this son of Murtle Turtle (Murtajill) was sold by Kenmore Lodge to Bevan Smith Bloodstock and Ferguson Bloodstock for $220,000 at the 2021 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale. He was then pinhooked via Bell River Thoroughbreds at the 2022 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, selling for $775,000 to the James Harron Bloodstock Colt Partnership.
Heat 13: Barber cuts loose
The 2-year-old Godolphin colt Barber (Exceed And Excel) is undefeated in two starts to date, a winner of the Kirkham S. and Golden Gift in the spring.
On Tuesday, he was a convincing winner of Heat 13 at Hawkesbury, leading home his stablemate Shaken (I Am Invincible), a son of the G1 Blue Diamond S. winner Earthquake (Exceed And Excel). The pair finished ahead of John Sargent’s colt Llewellyn (Mendelssohn {USA}).
Barber, trained by James Cummings, winner of Heat 13 | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Barber posted a winning time of 47.35s, the final 600 metres in 33.79s. The only other juvenile in the field was the Edward O’Rourke-trained Kimmela, a daughter of Vancouver.
Godolphin’s Barber is the final foal from the Lonhro mare Trim, herself a Group 3 and Listed winner. Barber is a full brother to the Exceed And Excel mare Manicure, whose good career wins included the G3 How Now S. and Listed Nudgee H.
