Unbeaten mare Autumn Glow will spearhead Chris Waller’s assault on the upcoming Golden Eagle (1500m) at Randwick, with the leading trainer opting to keep several of his other star runners for alternative targets.
Waller had eight horses nominated for the $10 million feature but confirmed that only Autumn Glow and Lord Penman will represent his stable in Saturday’s race. His other big names, including Lady Shenandoah and Angel Capital, are being directed to different assignments — Lady Shenandoah to the Russell Balding Stakes (1300m) and Angel Capital to Melbourne.
Autumn Glow, unbeaten in seven starts, was last seen winning the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick on October 4. She has since tuned up with a fourth-place trial effort over 1050m at Randwick on October 20, maintaining her sharpness ahead of the Golden Eagle.
Having analysed the profiles of past winners of the Golden Eagle — first staged in 2019 — Waller noted that most successful contenders had recent form over 1600m. That key factor ruled out both Lady Shenandoah and Angel Capital, who have been competing in shorter sprint races.
Angel Capital and Lady Shenandoah both contested The Everest (1200m) at Randwick on October 20, finishing sixth and seventh respectively. Meanwhile, Lord Penman was seventh in the Epsom before stepping back in distance to finish runner-up in the Silver Eagle (1300m) two days earlier.
“All three could run in the Golden Eagle, but I’ve just found that when they have been on that sprinting campaign, it’s a bit hard to jack them up straight to that 1500 metres,” Waller explained. “We went through the stats of the Golden Eagle, and most horses had been running over the mile that have won it. In that regard, it suits Autumn Glow coming back from the Epsom and she’s done a great job.”
Adding to Autumn Glow’s credentials, champion jockey James McDonald will reunite with her for the Golden Eagle. McDonald has partnered the mare in three of her seven wins, although Kerrin McEvoy took the reins for her past two starts while McDonald was in Melbourne riding Via Sistina.
When asked whose decision it was for McDonald to forgo the Victoria Derby Day meeting at Flemington to stay in Sydney, Waller quipped, “It’s not ideal, and we’ll miss him down at Flemington, but she’s his baby and there’s other support races as well,” joking that the final call was made by McDonald’s wife, Katelyn Mallyon.
As for Angel Capital, Waller said that despite his sharp sectionals in The Everest, the Group 1 CF Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on November 15 is a more suitable assignment. “I’m not a fan of it (Orr Stakes) being so late especially if you’re trying to get a horse like him back for the Newmarket in the autumn,” he said. “Up and back, up and back, it’s not what we really like doing, but at least he’s got time, four weeks between runs, and we’ll probably give him a trial down here before he runs too.”
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