A collection of Chris Waller’s top horses, spearheaded by the prominent mare Autumn Glow, kicked off their spring campaigns at Randwick on Monday morning.
Group 1-winning horses under Waller’s care dominated the first three trials, all run over 900 metres on the main racing circuit after Friday’s planned trials were postponed due to wet weather.
Autumn Glow finished third in the opening trial, trailing the impressive winner Napoleonic. Roughly ten minutes later, another star mare, Aeliana, claimed fourth place in a heat won by stablemate Barnavara.
These hit-outs occurred over a month before the horses are expected to return to racing. Autumn Glow is slated to resume in the $1 million Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m) on August 22, and Waller indicated that the team’s preparation would become more intense in the ensuing weeks.
“The Winx Stakes is about five weeks away, so we’ve still got a long way to go,” Waller remarked. “They will only start to get tuned up after their second trial. It’s all about blowing the cobwebs out and making sure everything is good, keeping them mentally right, and being ahead of it.”
In her trial, Autumn Glow initially led before jockey James McDonald restrained her to settle second last, with only fellow stablemate Autumn Boy behind her. She remained in this position until the 200-metre mark, when she was encouraged by McDonald to improve, ultimately snatching third place on the line ahead of stablemate Lady Shenandoah.
McDonald also rode Aeliana, who coasted towards the finish line in her trial, with the field maintaining its order for most of the gallop. She finished 4-1/4 lengths behind Barnavara, whose only Australian start was a fourth in the Neville Sellwood Stakes (2000m) when ridden by McDonald.
Kerrin McEvoy was on board in Monday’s trial, but Waller noted that McDonald had been involved in Aeliana’s recent preparations, and his feedback had heightened expectations for the French Group 1 winner’s return.
“She has put on about thirty kilos, so she looks like an Australian horse,” Waller commented. “James is rapt. He says she feels like a completely different horse. That’s exciting.”
The Waller-trained Wootton Verni secured the runner-up position in Trial 2. The dual Oaks winner Ohope Wins was also competing in this heat and finished just behind Aeliana.
In the third trial, McDonald partnered the injury-plagued import Soulcombe, who finished with a strong surge to take third place, less than a length behind the winner, Screen Icon. Soulcombe has contended with tendon issues over the past two seasons and has not raced since finishing second to Without A Fight in the 2023 Melbourne Cup.
Chris Waller plans to unleash more of his star performers at Tuesday’s Warwick Farm trials. Angel Capital, Beiwacht, Campione D’Italia, and Fireball are scheduled to have their first trials of the current campaign in a 900m workout on the course proper.
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