Autumn Glow faces her toughest challenge yet after drawing the extreme outside gate, barrier 14 of 14, in Saturday’s Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) at Randwick.
The unbeaten mare will attempt to join an exclusive group, with only three mares in the past 50 years winning the Epsom. The tide has shifted recently though, with Secret Admirer, Winx and Probabeel all saluting as four-year-olds since 2011.
Kerrin McEvoy retains the ride on Autumn Glow at 54.5kg, with trainer Chris Waller opting for James McDonald to remain in Melbourne to ride Via Sistina in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m).
Waller will be represented by two runners, Autumn Glow and Lord Penman, as he aims for a sixth win in the famous Randwick mile. Assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth believes the wide draw won’t stop the mare from producing her best.
“It always makes it harder, but she’s a good horse,” Duckworth said.
“She’s terrific. She obviously had that exhibition gallop on Saturday at the races and bounced through that.
“She was just literally doing too well. She’s bouncing out of her skin. She’s ready to explode, it’s her first crack at a Group One, but she deserves it.”
Autumn Glow remains a commanding favourite at $1.80 despite her draw, a shorter quote than Winx started when she won the Epsom in 2015.
It looms as a landmark day for Waller, who has leading contenders across three Group 1s at Randwick and Flemington. Birdman, winner of the Group 3 Kingston Town Stakes (2000m), heads the market at $5 for the Group 1 The Metropolitan (2400m) despite drawing out in barrier 17 of 18.
Duckworth said Birdman had earned his spot with a light weight and was thriving at the right time.
“Running at the set weights race meant he was exempt from having a penalty, terrific job to get that win and still get in with a nice light weight,” Duckworth said.
“2400 metres will be a massive positive, just an awkward draw, Kerrin is going to need to be good.”
Waller famously claimed the Epsom/The Metropolitan double in both 2014 and 2019, the latter year also producing a Turnbull Stakes triumph.
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