Unbeaten mare Autumn Glow will make her highly anticipated return at Randwick on Saturday, with her performance in the Group 3 Toy Show Quality (1100m) potentially shaping the direction of her entire spring campaign.
The four-year-old lines up on the Winx Stakes program as Chris Waller assesses whether her future lies as a sprinter or miler. A tilt at The Everest has not been ruled out if she can show enough dash.
“We’re not sure whether she is a sprinter or a miler,” Waller said. “The Epsom looks perfect for her but we are going to give her a chance to sprint. Who is to say she is not an Everest contender?”
Dual accepted for Saturday’s card, Autumn Glow was scratched from the Show County Quality (1200m) in favour of the Toy Show, with champion jockey James McDonald to partner her at 55.5kg.
She has yet to be tested on ground worse than a soft 6, but Waller is comfortable rolling the dice in heavy conditions given her solid grounding, which includes victory in the Darby Munro Stakes (1200m) in March.
“Because we’re well prepared, I’m prepared to try, but I would like to see no rain on the day,” he said. “She was in no rush to begin and we’ve looked after her thus far, but as long as it’s safe on the day she will be running.”
A daughter of The Autumn Sun, Autumn Glow has impressed in all four career starts, three of them at stakes level, but Waller stressed she still has milestones to achieve.
“I want to tick the Group One box first so I’m not getting too excited until then,” he said.
With stablemate Lazzura redirected to the Show County, Autumn Glow faces a field of 11 including Group 1 winner Manaal, Robert Sangster Stakes runner-up Ameena, and the promising Shohisha.
Punters eager to see if Autumn Glow can remain unbeaten in the Toy Show Quality can find betting options through Australia’s leading betting sites.