Saturday 23 February 2019
Not seen in official competition since his four and half length win in the Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas, THE AUTUMN SUN seems to have made the most of his spell as he showed tremendous tenacity to prevail in the $400,000 Gr.2 Hobartville Stakes over 1,400 m at Rosehill. On a soft rated track, his two main opponents established a slow pace and THE AUTUMN SUN was settled last on the rail. His jockey Kerrin McEvoy had to go widest of all at the top of the straight but the three-year-old colt gradually passed his rivals to score by a neck.
His trainer Chris Waller said after the race: “On these types of tracks, and as we've seen today, it's hard to make ground. This is what good horses do and he deservedly won the race. […] He’s got the ability to be anything.”
THE AUTUMN SUN has now won six of his seven starts, including three Group 1s, and will now run in the Gr.1 Randwick Guineas in two weeks’ time. A son of Australia’s champion sire Redoute’s Choice, THE AUTUMN SUN was bred in partnership by Arrowfield and the Aga Khan Studs out of AZMIYNA, a Galileo half-sister to AZAMOUR. He was purchased for Aus$700,000 at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale as a yearling by Guy Mulcaster and Chris Waller and the same duo purchased his half-sister by Snitzel for Aus$1,3 million at the same sale last year.
AZMIYNA has a yearling colt by Not A Single Doubt catalogued as lot 369 at the upcoming Easter Yearling Sale and gave birth to a colt by Snitzel last year. She is due to be covered by Deep Impact this season.
Updated on 23/02/2019.