Emma Freedman of Channel 7 spoke to Nick Luck, in association with Aushorse, about stars of the Australian autumn, and who could be making a trip north when the European summer rolls around.
Here’s what Emma had to say...
Autumn Glow
Nine from nine, she’s a superstar mare in the making.
She won her first Group 1 in the spring of last year, but she returned on Saturday at Royal Randwick in the Apollo Stakes over 1400m and what she did to that field, in her first experience at weight-for-age conditions, was very special indeed.
She jumped very quickly and settled in the first few. Then, when asked to go by James McDonald, she did it with ultimate ease
She’s very exciting and I think she’s the next horse – and, speaking to James post-race, he believes this to be true too – to really capture the hearts and minds of Australian racing fans à la Winx, Black Caviar… all those absolute superstars of the past.
She still has a way to go to achieve what they did, but she’s starting to track in that direction.
She’ll head to the Chipping Norton [Verry Elleegant Stakes], then to the George Ryder.
Chris Waller and her owner, John Messara, will then have to make a decision: do they stretch her to the 2000m of the Queen Elizabeth, or do they keep her at the mile and hope she’s not given too much weight in the Doncaster Handicap?
That’s the big question they have to ask themselves, probably in the next four weeks or so, before we head into the Championships in April.
Later in the year, I imagine her path is set to winning a Cox Plate and, in 2027, I think the big path for her will be heading to the Queen Anne, which is very exciting. Our sprinters have been dominant when they’ve headed to Royal Ascot in the past, and next year I imagine she’ll be on a plane if all goes well.
They’ve been very cautious and careful with her so far. What they see in her is very special and they don’t want to stretch her too early, but in a year’s time, she’ll be five and ready to take on the world.
Joliestar
She was brilliant at the weekend, winning at Group 2 level, but she’s a three-time Group 1 winner, predominantly over 1200m, so she’s a lock to head to Royal Ascot.
I hear she’ll probably have one more start here, and her best performances are fresh, so they’ll try and rest her for a little bit before putting her on the plane for the June meeting.
Tentyris
What happened on Saturday at Flemington over the 1000m Black Caviar Lightning had to be seen to be believed. He clocked extraordinary sectionals.
The colt by Street Boss has now won two Group 1s and we’ll find out soon enough about what weight he gets in the Newmarket Handicap. I think that’ll explain what they do going forward.
If he gets above 57kg and doesn’t have to carry an extreme weight for a three-year-old, he’ll head to the Newmarket, then possibly to the TJ Smith. Otherwise, I think they’ll consider going to Royal Ascot.
I spoke to Sam Freedman, and he said no plans are set in stone yet and they haven’t mapped it all out.
It really does depend on going through the Newmarket, but I’d love to see him at Ascot. I think he’d be dynamite.
Sir Delius
They’ll kick him off over 2000m, I imagine pretty close to the Queen Elizabeth, which’ll be his ultimate goal.
They don’t like to race him over shorter trips – 1400m or 1600m and so on – which is typically the path that a lot of Australian middle-distance horses take, building on their preparation.
I think they’ll save their bullets, so to speak, until the last moment heading into the Championships.
He has trialled a few times, and he has been OK in those trials. He has been building towards something and obviously he needs a lot further than the 900m or 1000m he gets in those early morning trials.
Many people think he could become our best horse in Australia in due course, but I reckon Tentyris and Autumn Glow might have something to say about that!
Blue Diamond Stakes
A really open race this year: $4 the field at the moment and Big Sky is favourite. He’s two from two for the Price and Kent jr yard. Guest House for the same yard is second line of betting, he’s their pick.
Closer To Free is going into the race at only his second race start for Danny O’Brien, who spotted him at the trials and bought him off a breaker called Adrian Corboy.
Unit Five runs for Ciaron Maher and we haven’t seen him since properly since the A$2m Magic Millions 2YO Classic on the Gold Coast.
It’s a rare feat for a two-year-old to be able to win a Magic Millions and a Blue Diamond, which are six to eight weeks apart, but if there’s a man for the job, it’s Ciaron Maher.
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