Autumn Boy aimed at newly minted G1 Golden Eagle
Chris Waller will set 4-year-old colt Autumn Boy (The Autumn Sun) at the G1 Golden Eagle. “Racing NSW have invested in prizemoney and it’s not about the races being worth more money, it’s the value it brings,” Waller told racingnsw.com.au.
Autumn Boy | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“Firstly, it creates hype for the raceday and, secondly, the value it puts on bloodstock. A Group 1 race, I’d be interested if someone could quantify what one is worth. It’s probably worth tens of millions of dollars to bloodstock alone. There might be some colts that hang around for a Golden Eagle and that’s what we want, we want the top horses to stay racing longer. So it’s a big deal.”
Winner number nine for Stay Inside
First season sire Stay Inside added his ninth winner on Sunday when Matthew Hoysted-trained 2-year-old gelding Quick Release won on debut at the Sunshine Coast. Kenmore Lodge sold him at the 2025 Magic Millions Horses-In-Training Sale for $300,000 to Hoysted Racing.
Quick Release is the first foal of Zing (Zoustar), a stakes placed half-sister to Group 3 winner Crafty Irna (Starcraft {NZ}). His second dam, Zirna (NZ) (Deputy Governor {USA}) won the G1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes and the Listed Singapore Gold Cup.
Friday’s trials at Randwick to attract the big names
It’s still cold enough that spring feels like it’s miles away, but Friday’s trial meeting at Randwick is likely to bring a spring to everyone’s step. Chris Waller will send around his Group 1 winners Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun), Aeliana (NZ) (Dundeel {NZ}), Lady Shenandoah (Snitzel), Autumn Boy (The Autumn Sun) and Ohope Wins (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}).
Chris Waller | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“I like to be well ahead, it suits me to get them up early rather than over-training them later,” Waller told racingandsports.com.au.
His two Group 1 winning Snitzel colts, Campione D’Italia and Fireball, will be a little while longer yet. “I'm in no rush with Campione D'Italia and Fireball. They will start a bit later and probably go into the Golden Rose second-up so I don't want them to be running on heavy tracks. They could get through to a Caulfield Guineas or the Coolmore Stud Stakes.”
Joliestar to follow Nature Strip
Joliestar (Zoustar) will arrive home from England on Monday and trainer Chris Waller will set her for a clash with Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) in the G1 The Everest. “She would most likely go to the Shorts,” Waller told racingnsw.com.au. It is the same path he took with Horse Of The Year Nature Strip (Nicconi) when he returned from winning at Royal Ascot in 2022. Nature Strip won the Shorts and was fourth in The Everest.
Joliestar | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“I haven’t spoken to the Lindsays (her owners) yet but I’d be pushing for the Shorts and four weeks into the Everest. She runs so well fresh. Obviously Ka Ying Rising puts a dent in everyone’s expectations. I used to always talk Winx up to scare people away but anything can go wrong.”
Brown’s Group 1 pair set for late spring
Cliff Brown-trained Sepals (Calyx {GB}) and Von Hauke (NZ) (Savabeel) will arrive back in the stable on Monday with a later spring target for the pair. “They spelled well. I went and saw them a couple of weeks ago, at Newington Farm and they were great. It was a long campaign, a heavy track last start, but they'll kick back into on Monday and we'll go from there,” Brown told racingandsports.com.au.
“The Champions Mile in Cup week if Sepals gets the mile, but we'll just have to see how he comes up. Maybe the King Charles, but there's a lot of nice horses going there and I thought a lot of the 4-year-olds might go to The Golden Eagle. I reckon Von Hauke could be a good Epsom horse under the handicap conditions, over the mile, it would be good.”
Small has a stroke
Retired jockey Cyril Small, famous for riding Vo Rogue (Ivor Prince {USA}), has had a stroke. He is 67. “On Saturday 11th of July 2026, Cyril Small suffered a massive stroke and was rushed to Gold Coast University Hospital,” a statement from the Queensland Jockeys' Association said.
“His breathing is being assisted by a ventilator, but in the last 12 hours the inflammation in his brain has reduced and he is getting stronger and showing signs of improvement. The doctors will look to take him off the ventilator tomorrow. (He) will be closely monitored over the next 72 hours and hopefully he has turned the corner.
“Cyril has a long journey ahead of him and will need all the fighting spirit he is famous for to get through this. Braidon and Daniel (sons) rushed from Victoria last night to be at his bedside along with his wife Lynlea, daughter Jessica as well as family friends Jeff Perry and his daughter Cymone.
“The Small family want to thank the expert care of the paramedics and the doctors and nurses at Gold Coast University hospital but have requested privacy at this time and thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers and will provide updates to the Queensland Jockeys' Association through Glen Prentice in due course.” Small retired from riding three years ago, and his son Braidon is now a jockey.
Juvenile winner for Blue Point
At Ballarat on Sunday, the Hayes brothers-trained 2-year-old filly Baby Blue (Blue Point {Ire}) won at her second start. She is the first foal of Orizaba (More Than Ready {USA}) who is an unraced half-sister to Group 1 winner Lady Laguna (Overshare).
The stable won the first three races on the card, with Australian Legacy (King’s Legacy) and Defarzio (Zousain) as their other winners. Zousain had a double with Mitchell Freedman-trained Salizou.
Juvenile winner for Safeguard
At Kalgoorlie on Sunday, Michael Grantham-trained 2-year-old gelding Optimus Prime (Safeguard) beat home the older horses to record his maiden victory. Grantham Racing and Byerley Bloodstock purchased him for $40,000 from Mogumber Park’s Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale. He is the second winner for Go Daisy (Show A Heart) who is a winning half-sister to Group 3-placed Billy The Kid (Savabeel).
Newly relocated sire Long Leaf celebrated a double at the meeting with Graceful Lass and Deeply Rooted, who has two wins and three placings, all at Kalgoorlie. Long Leaf will stand at Grassdale in Victoria in 2026.
Grade 1 winner Rattle N Roll retired
Rattle N Roll (Connect) has been retired from racing and sold to Saudi Arabia where he will stand stud in 2027, trainer Ken McPeek told Horse Racing Nation Saturday. The 7-year-old, who won the 2021 GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity, compiled a record of 33-11-3-3 and earned more than US$3.9 million (AU$5.6 million) with seven graded- or group-stakes wins.
“Rattle and Roll's been sold and retired to stud duty in Saudi Arabia,” McPeek said to HRN. “He's going to go to stud in Saudi Arabia for our partner, (Sharaf Mohammed Al Hariri). The Mackin family (of co-owner Lucky Seven Stable) was happy to work the deal with them because they wanted him to have a stallion career.
“He's not a horse that's a Kentucky-type stallion. Maybe he could (stand in) New York or someplace else, but I think that's a good ending for him as far as ending his career. He's been so good to us, and every year he's just brought us nice wins, and he's retired sound, and that's good. You could make a case to run him another year, but I don't think he had anything to prove.”
Night Of Thunder adds Group 2 winner
Karl Burke representative Zeus Olympios (Night Of Thunder), successful in two Group races last term, was winless in three pattern-race starts this year and stepped forward to halt his losing sequence with a battling performance in Saturday's G2 Juddmonte Summer Mile at Ascot.
The winner's three prior starts this term include a third in the G1 Lockinge at Newbury and a fourth in last month's G1 Queen Anne at Royal Ascot.
Zeus Olympios, one of his sire's 45 Group winners, is the first of three foals produced by Listed Star Stakes third Rhea (Siyouni), herself a half-sister to Listed Bangalore Oaks victrix and Listed Indian 1000 Guineas third Teresita (Havana Gold).
Unbeaten Leading Charge wins Indiana Derby
It's a tall order to go from a maiden sprint to a two-turn graded race, but Wathnan Racing's Leading Change (Gun Runner) did it with aplomb, staying unbeaten with a score in Saturday's GIII Indiana Derby at Horseshoe Indianapolis.
“He's a nice colt that's lightly raced, just had the one run,” said winning trainer Brad Cox. “Big ask here today. It was definitely a bit of an unknown with going straight from a maiden race to a Grade III for a 3-year-old, running against seasoned horses. But he showed that he's got a lot of class and talent.”
Maximum Offer wins Indiana Oaks
Able to have things all her own way up front, Maximum Offer (Maxfield) set an easy tempo early and had something left late to win the GIII Indiana Oaks in gate-to-wire fashion Saturday at Horseshoe Indianapolis.
“We need to keep her against straight 3-year-old fillies as long as we can,” trainer Ken McPeek said. “I'd love to think she could make the (GI) Cotillion (at Parx). But she needs to find some place in between.
Wimbledon Hawkeye heads to Bahrain
The Gredley family's Wimbledon Hawkeye (Kameko) has been purchased privately by Victorious Forever. A winner of the G2 Royal Lodge Stakes, the 4-year-old homebred colt is expected to join the stable of George Scott. The GIII Nashville Derby hero will target the newly upgraded G1 Bahrain International Trophy in November.
