Saturday summary: Autumn Glow further cements Champion status with Mile victory

Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

Champion Autumn Glow conquers Flemington’s mile

It was Champions’ Day at Flemington on Saturday, and one champion in particular was giving power to the name when making her first trip south of the border for the G1 Champions Mile.

Only beaten once before, Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun) has taken all before her this spring, and the familiar black and yellow silks of Arrowfield Stud were highly favoured to win again for her first time on the other leg. She was quick away from the barriers under familiar partner James McDonald before letting Lindermann (Lonhro) cross to the front, while the mare settled one horse off the rail.

The tempo began to ramp up once inside the final 800 metres, with Lindermann giving his Chris Waller-trained stablemate no quarter as they drew clear of the pack.

Starpower prevailed, however, as McDonald gave Autumn Glow her rein and she accelerated clear to win by a length and a quarter, with a third Waller trainee in Buckaroo (GB) (Fastnet Rock) finishing third a further length behind.

The victory was Autumn Glow’s 15th from 16 starts and marked her sixth Group 1 win, with the hefty $1.8 million first prize taking the 5-year-old’s total earnings to over $14.6 million.

Waller had to admit to feeling nervous for the mare’s first venture to Melbourne.

“You don’t want a horse like Autumn Glow to disappoint,” he 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.”

Lindermann is one of only two horses to get it over Autumn Glow, beating her in the 2000-metre G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes in the autumn where she ran third behind him and Sir Delius (GB) (Frankel {GB}). Autumn Glow made that a one-off event, staying to a mile or below since in four straight wins for the spring.

“The owners (of Autumn Glow) are fantastic, Hermitage from Hong Kong, Mr Messara and his team at Arrowfield,” said Waller. “They've been terrific support and great to train for. They know a lot about racing, but they leave a lot to my team and have trust in what we do. They deserve it, they're the ones showcasing it, so it’s a good result.”

When asked to rank the mare amongst his catalogue of stable stars, Waller placed her fourth.

“She’s a star,” he said. “She’s as good as any horse that I’ve trained, it’s just about longevity. Winx just kept going and going and going for four or five years. She could beat Winx on her day, but Winx would probably beat her on Winx’s best day pretty easily in fact, especially over 2000 (metres).

“That’s the unique thing about people's favourites, you can’t really compare them.”

McDonald, who rode a Group double with the earlier win of Pinhole (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the G3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes, gave credit to Lindermann’s performance in pushing the mare to really show off what makes her special.

“He’s so dangerous because he’s got a beautiful high cruising speed,” said McDonald. “When Damian (Oliver) let the shackles go at the 600 (metres), she was a little bit lost at sea, and even when we straightened and I gave her a click, she took about 50 metres to get going.

“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.”

A post-race examination found Autumn Glow to be lame in the left foreleg, and Racing Victoria's stewards provided an update at 7:15pm on Saturday that Waller's stable found bruising in her hoof.

Sales: Bred by Newhaven Park, Autumn Glow was sold as a weanling for $600,000 to Silverdale Farm and Shrone Bloodstock, before topping the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale at $1.8 million, purchased by Arrowfield Pastoral and Hermitage Thoroughbreds.

Pedigree: One of two individual Group 1 winners from three to race out of South African Champion Sprinter and multiple Group 1 winner Via Africa (Var {USA}), Autumn Glow is a three-quarter-sister to G1 Golden Rose Stakes winner In The Congo. By Arrowfield Stud’s The Autumn Sun, she is one of five individual Group 1 winners for the stallion.

Via Africa has been retired from breeding, but her daughter Protea (Vancouver) foaled a three-quarter-sister to Autumn Glow in August, two days before Autumn Glow’s season-opening win in the G1 Winx Stakes.

Point Barrow’s super spring continues in Champions Sprint

An unplaced run in the G1 Moir Stakes in September is the only mark on the 2026 spring record for Point Barrow (Blue Point {Ire]), who served her revenge on a field that included G1 The Everest victress Tempted (Street Boss {USA}) in Saturday’s G1 Champions Sprint.

The 4-year-old bounced back from the Moir with back to back wins for Anthony and Sam Freedman in the G3 How Now Stakes and the G3 Northwood Plume Stakes before heading to Flemington for Champions Day.

Despite her record of 12 runs for seven wins and two placings ahead of Saturday, she was only rated a $18 chance to win - although punters could not be blamed for heavily backing Tempted into favouritism, with Joliestar (Zoustar) and Headwall (Dream Ahead {USA}) the only other runners favoured any shorter.

But a patient steer in the hands of Mark Zahra, Point Barrow travelled under zero pressure at the back of the field until within the final two furlongs, at which point she launched through a gap and found the front. $101 shot Plaintiff (Zoustar) made a play for victory, but Point Barrow was able to surge late and snatch victory by almost half a length.

Skybird (Exosphere) was a nose behind Plaintiff in third, with Headwall a head further back. A length separated them from Tempted, with Joliestar a neck further back in sixth.

“It's been a long week and the team turned her out in great shape,” said Sam Freedman after the win, adding that he had the confidence going into the race that the mare could hold her own against Tempted.

“She's (Point Barrow) been a bloody good mare for a while and it's been a long time coming. I'm glad she's got the win at the top level.”

The sprint had been picked out for Point Barrow since the beginning of her preparation, and a Good 4 track played right into her favour.

“Once the rain didn't come, I knew she would reel off a brilliant last 400 (metres) and Mark Zahra, he tends to get it right on the big days,” Freedman said.

Zahra praised the mare’s tenacity late to hold on for victory.

“They came at her late,” he said. “She dug in, and I always say the fresh horse on the scene, that hasn't been to the Everest, is the one and she's got the chips. A good effort."

Point Barrow’s first top flight win makes her the seventh Group 1 winner globally for her Darley shuttle sire Blue Point (Ire).

Sales: Point Barrow was purchased for $400,000 by Anthony Freedman Racing from the Yarraman Park Stud draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

Pedigree: Co-bred by the McClures' Morning Rise Stud and Yarraman Park Stud, Point Barrow is the second foal from the G3 Champagne Stakes winner Take Pride (Reward For Effort), who is out of a half-sister to five-time Group 1 winner Mummify (Jeune {GB}), winner of the 2003 G1 Caulfield Cup where Makybe Diva (GB) (Desert King {Ire}) finished fourth before her first G1 Melbourne Cup win.

This family has also produced Group 3 winner and black-type producer Ottoman (Exceed And Excel) and dual Listed winner Isaurian (Exceed And Excel), both bred by Darley.

SV Racing bought a valuable Home Affairs half-brother to Point Barrow for $5500 on Inglis Digital in early 2024, who is now a 2-year-old. Take Pride has a Hellbent colt to sell as a yearling in 2027, and was served by Shinzo in September.

Birdman reverses Cox Plate result with Champions victory

Birdman (Ire) (Free Eagle {Ire}) was denied a G1 Cox Plate by Western Australian star Cosmic Crusader (NZ) (Maurice {Jpn}) just a fortnight ago, but the Waller-trained import was not to be denied when they headed to Champions Day for a rematch in the G1 Champions Stakes.

In what was called “basically a replay of the Cox Plate” (but with a differing finish) by Birdman’s part-owner Patrick Cripps, Land Legend (Fr) (Galileo {Ire}) made a gallant bid to lead before the pack began to overwhelm him within the final 300 metres, with Birdman was coming hard and fast down the outside.

Cosmic Crusader and Sir Delius were the only two able to follow suit, giving chase as the high class import sought to widen his margin from the field. But Birdman proved a shade too strong for the best from the west and the triple Group 1-winning entire, lengthening out for Ben Melham to win by three quarters of a length.

Sir Delius was a further half-length behind Cosmic Crusader in third.

"The way he finished the race off, he was strong,” Waller said. “He hit the 200-metre mark with purpose, and he was running down some good horses. And I could see Cosmic Crusader on Aeliana's back, and I thought, ‘oh no, here we go again’.

“But he just really launched, he said I'm here, so it was good to see. He'll hold it now, he'll hold that form."

The Waller stable lined up 10 runners on Champions Day and came away with a Group treble, courtesy of Pinhole, Autumn Glow, and Birdman claiming his third Group 1 after victories in the G1 Doomben Cup and G1 Underwood Stakes this year.

“That's a good feeling, that,” said Cripps, a two-time Brownlow Medallist. “It was a great ride and that's a very good feeling.

"You like the buzz. That's what you get into these games for, whether it's footy or racing. You put yourself out there. It's a nice feeling. He's won three Group 1s now, so it's pretty special."

Sales: Birdman was privately purchased by Matt Becker of Group 1 Bloodstock alongside Ozzie Kheir after showing some promising early form in Ireland.

Pedigree: Birdman is one of three winners out of Carol (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), who was a winner over a mile. She comes from a strong international family with classy performers including the dual Group 3-winning stallion Elusive Pimpernel (USA) and champion filly Snow Fairy (Ire) (Intikhab {USA}), who won six Group 1 races around the world.

Carol produced colts by the late Calyx (GB) and Australia (GB) the last two years, so there may well be a chance to purchase a half-relation to Birdman at future horses in training sales.

Evaporate produces a real Diamond for Hayes boys

It was a red letter day for the Lindsay Park racing team at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday with three runners resulting in two victories and a third placing in the card’s headline events. After Act Up (Castelvecchio) scored in the Listed Golden Gift, it was stable stalwart Evaporate (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}) who was the star of the show in the G3 Five Diamonds, with stablemate Plymouth (The Autumn Sun) running a gallant third in the $2 million event for 5-year-olds.

The multiple Group winner was a drifting seventh in the $1 million Five Diamonds Prelude, but he arrived at the grand final with renewed focus, settling a pair back from pacesetters Zambardo (NZ) (Belardo {Ire}) and Brindavan (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}).

Nash Rawiller, who also partnered Act Up to victory, put the pressure on once the gelding straightened, but he still had to fend off a gritty finish from Zambardo to win by half a length, with Plymouth flashing up the rail to third, a length further back on their heels.

On pulling up, Rawiller revealed that it was nearly all over out of the gates for Evaporate, who was securing his eighth career victory and bumping up against $4.5 million in prize money.

“He knuckled coming out of the gates,” Rawiller said. “Honestly he’s the weirdest customer you’d ever come across. I think he half shocked himself into putting himself into a great spot. He dead-set gave a scare for one stride.

“The way he came up running, he definitely gave himself a fright.”

"That was a brilliant ride from Nash,” said co-trainer Will Hayes. “Evaporate can be sticky away from the gates and we really wanted to make use of the barrier. As you saw in the run, he still got quite aggressive, and Nash did his best to keep in a rhythm. He still didn't race very genuinely, and he's just got so much more talent that he was able to win.

"The stablemate, Plymouth, has run a huge race as well to get up for third, so it has been a terrific day for the stable. I'm just very proud to represent the team."

The Hayes name is not as frequent in Sydney, but Will was pleased to walk away from the meeting with nearly $2 million in prizemoney between the three runners.

"We do love pinching prize money and taking that home to Victoria, that's for sure,” he said.

“We feel like we're strategically very well located in Euroa. It's not too far to get to Sydney for these nice races. To bring a 2-year-old here and get the cash and now strike with the Five Diamonds first and third, is a feather in our cap and a very proud moment for Lindsay Park."

As for Evaporate’s next steps, Hayes said that there was “options galore” for the gelding.

“We do believe he has Group 1 ability, we've just frustratingly not been able to get there yet,” he said. “But he's taken the owners on a terrific ride."

Sales: Evaporate was a $330,000 purchase for Lindsay Park at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from the draft of Sledmere Stud.

Pedigree: Evaporate is out of Savanna (NZ) (Animal Kingdom {USA}), an unraced half-sister to G2 Wenona Girl Handicap winner Belluci Babe (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}). His third dam, G3 Ladies Mile winner Sound Lover (NZ) (Sound Reason {Can}), has produced four stakes winners including Per Incanto’s (USA) Listed-winning Group performer Magnum (NZ).

Two more of her daughters have produced stakes winners by Per Incanto, including the dam of Prima Bella (NZ), winner of the G3 Toy Show Quality this spring.

All but one of Savanna’s foals have been by Per Incanto, and she awaits another by him this spring.