News

3YOs dominate again as lucrative month looms

21st Sep 2024

Exciting 3YOs Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun) and Angel Capital (Harry Angel) continued on their winning ways today with equally dominant performances in their penultimate runs before G1 quests await.

The superlatives continued to pour in for the exceptional filly Autumn Glow, who kept her unbeaten record intact with another sublime performance to win the G2 Tea Rose Stakes at Randwick.

Last year’s Easter Sale-topper made it three wins from as many outings, defeating some of the best fillies of her generation in what can only be described as another exhilarating performance.

The Chris Waller-trained 3YO will now start a short-priced favourite in the G1 Flight Stakes at her next start in a fortnight, a race for which she is already $1.80 with Ladbrokes and likely to start even shorter.

Bred by Newhaven Park, Autumn Glow (pictured) was offered at Easter by Silverdale Farm and purchased by Arrowfield Stud and Hermitage Thoroughbreds for $1.8m.

Autumn Glow defeated Snow In May today in an Easter fillies quinella.

Silverdale’s Steve Grant was in awe of the magnificent filly.

“She’s incredible. Boy oh boy she’s got a motor,’’ Grant said post-race.

“[Jockey] James [McDonald] hopped off and said she’s the best filly he’s ever sat on. That’s some sort of opinion.

“From our perspective, this is what we want, for our clients who pay the big money for expensive horses off us to enjoy the success that Arrowfield and Hermitage are having with this filly.

“They’ve been so great, they’ve involved us with this journey that they’re on and it’s just so exciting and so enjoyable to watch it all play out.’’

At Caulfield it was the colt Angel Capital who made it consecutive Stakes wins with a determined victory in the G3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude.

The race didn’t go according to script for the 3YO, who was held up and lost momentum mid race before surging late to score a memorable win.

It was the third victory of his career and saw him firm into a $7 third favourite with Ladbrokes for his primary spring target, the G1 Caulfield Guineas in three weeks.

Trained by Clinton McDonald, Angel Capital is a $400,000 Premier Yearling Sale buy for Ross and Andy Lao’s Upper Bloodstock – with Gregory Ho – from the Mill Park Stud draft.

He is bred by David Peacock.

Watching today’s race from Hong Kong, part owner Gregory Ho described the win as “amazing’’.

“It’s so exciting. Now I need to book a flight to Melbourne for October 12 for the Caulfield Guineas so I can watch him at the races,’’ Mr Ho said.

“The Upper Bloodstock boys are fantastic, they give me a shortlist at the sales and when I went and saw this colt at the Inglis Premier Sale I liked his action and his temperament and he is of course a half brother to a very good horse in Hong Kong called Senor Toba so I was very keen to buy him.

“We trust Clinton McDonald with this horse and all of our focus now is on winning the G1 Caulfield Guineas and having a successful Melbourne Spring Carnival.’’

Meanwhile outstanding sprinter I Am Me (I Am Invincible) won a second $1m race in the space of a fortnight when taking out the G2 The Shorts at Randwick.

Having claimed the G3 Concorde Stakes first up, the Ciaron Maher-trained I Am Me returned to her favourite track – where she is now a four-time winner from five starts – to announce herself a genuine Everest contender with a strong win.

Even if I Am Me does not contest The Everest, she would likely contest the $2m Sydney Stakes on the same day, which is also part of the $2m Spring Sprint Series, of which I Am Me is on target to win, given she has won the first two legs.

Dynamic Syndications’ Dean and Adam Watt purchased the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum-bred I Am Me out of the Segenhoe Stud draft at the Premier Yearling Sale for $210,000.

Today’s win was the 11^th of her career and takes her prizemoney earnings to $3.7m.

And the lightly raced 4YO McHale (Shooting To Win) will likely target the G1 Epsom Hcp in a fortnight following his tenacious first-up win in the G3 Bill Ritchie Hcp at Randwick.

The Chris Waller-trained McHale was having his first run since the Brisbane Winter Carnival and it was that residual fitness which helped him hold on for a tough victory today.

Star Thoroughbreds’ Denise Martin teamed up with Brett Howard of Randwick Bloodstock to purchase McHale – who races in the colours of part owners Kathryn Wood and Oliver Enriquez - for $160,000 at the Classic Yearling Sale, where he was offered by Edinglassie Stud.

Bred by Mick Talty and Michelle Wright of Edinglassie, McHale has now won four of his 12 starts for $310,000 in prizemoney.