Chris Waller, the trainer behind Autumn Boy, has stated that he feels there’s unfinished business for the promising colt, who will be given the chance to achieve what his sire, The Autumn Sun, did not.
The Autumn Sun, also trained by Waller, concluded his racing career with eight wins from nine starts. His commercial value prompted his retirement at the end of his three-year-old season, leading him to stud duties at John Messara’s Arrowfield Stud.
Waller is convinced that The Autumn Sun possessed the capacity to achieve even greater success as an older horse. While the sire never had that opportunity, Autumn Boy is now set to be given that chance.
“The Autumn Sun – and I think Mr Messara would agree – would have been even better at four, but his value was so high he had to be retired,” Waller said. “He won five Group One races and only raced for twelve months. When I (first) saw him at the farm, I said, ‘Wow. Imagine if he was in work now’.
“We’ve got that opportunity with Autumn Boy. He’s racing on at four and I’m excited about that. There is unfinished business with what we didn’t quite see with The Autumn Sun. He might have pressed Winx in a Cox Plate.”
Autumn Boy has been managed with care, securing four victories to date, including Group 1 wins in the Caulfield and Rosehill Guineas, races his sire also won in 2018-19.
Having completed one quiet barrier trial, the colt is scheduled for another, with the Winx Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on August 22 being considered as a potential starting point for his spring campaign.
“He’s come back amazing,” Waller stated. “Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself because we haven’t really tested him, but everything we have asked him to do, he’s done it well.
“His attitude is fantastic. You hear me talk about attitudes a lot and that’s the difference with a (good) colt is their attitude.”
Autumn Boy’s last race was a second-place finish behind Sheza Alibi in the Doncaster Mile (1600m). He is a prominent contender in early markets for several major spring races, including the Epsom Handicap (1600m), where he is an $8 chance, and the Golden Eagle (1500m), sitting at $11 on the fourth line of betting.
He’s a leading contender for the Epsom Handicap, and you can explore the latest racing odds at Australian betting sites.
