If debut performances are anything to go by, Autumn Boy could be headed for a promising racing career following his surprise win at Canterbury on Monday.

The two-year-old colt produced an eye-catching turn of foot to claim victory in the Drinkwise Plate (1250m), leading home a stable quinella for Chris Waller on the King’s Birthday Holiday program in Sydney.

While much of the attention was on highly touted stablemate Central Coast, a $1.4 million colt backed into $1.65 betting sites favouritism, it was the $51 outsider Autumn Boy who surged late under Jason Collett to edge out his stablemate by a short neck.

“He’s always been a dream to deal with in terms of his work at home,” Waller stable rep Charlie Duckworth said post-race.

“He just flies under the radar. That was his first proper test under pressure, and he really responded with a strong finishing burst.”

Bred for middle-distance success, Autumn Boy is by five-time Group 1 winner The Autumn Sun, and was purchased for $200,000 by Waller and bloodstock agent Guy Mulcaster at the 2024 Magic Millions Yearling Sale.

Collett, who piloted the colt to victory, was confident the youngster has scope to improve.

“He was one of the nicer types I’d seen at the trials, and he’s taken another step forward,” Collett said. “That’s always a good sign.”

The Autumn Sun boasts Group 1 wins over 1400m to 2000m, including the Caulfield Guineas (1600m) and the Rosehill Guineas (2000m), and Autumn Boy’s dam Rosegarden is by Savabeel, another renowned stamina influence.

In the corresponding race for fillies over the same trip, the Bjorn Baker-trained Pillow Fight ($8) made a winning debut. A $375,000 yearling by leading sire Zoustar, the filly is also expected to thrive over longer distances according to Baker’s racing manager Luke Hilton.