Unbeaten mare Autumn Glow will lead Chris Waller’s charge into Saturday’s Golden Eagle (1500m) at Randwick, with the champion trainer opting for a streamlined team after assessing his runners’ preparations for the $10 million feature.
Waller had originally nominated eight horses for the Golden Eagle but confirmed that only Autumn Glow and Lord Penman will take their place in the field. Stable stars Lady Shenandoah and Angel Capital are heading in different directions, with Lady Shenandoah targeting the Russell Balding Stakes (1300m) at Randwick and Angel Capital bound for Melbourne.
Autumn Glow has been faultless throughout her seven-start career and claimed her first Group 1 success in the Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick on October 4. Since then, she’s kept ticking over with a steady fourth in a 1050m trial at Randwick on October 20.
Having reviewed the data on previous Golden Eagle winners, Waller said the race historically favours runners that have proven themselves over the mile distance, making Autumn Glow the ideal candidate. “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,” he said. “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.”
Lady Shenandoah and Angel Capital both ran in The Everest (1200m) on October 20, finishing sixth and seventh respectively, while Lord Penman was seventh in the Epsom before an improved effort when second in the Silver Eagle (1300m).
Autumn Glow will again team up with leading jockey James McDonald, who has guided her to victory three times. McDonald missed her last two starts due to Melbourne commitments, where Kerrin McEvoy took the reins. Asked about McDonald’s decision to ride in Sydney instead of attending Victoria Derby Day at Flemington, Waller joked, “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.”
Waller confirmed that Angel Capital will next run in the Group 1 CF Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on November 15. “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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