Autumn Angel soars to Australian Oaks victory
Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman-trained filly becomes first Group 1 winner for The Autumn Sun with brave success
Randwick’s The Championships have proved a lucrative couple of weeks for Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman this year and the training partners enjoyed more Group 1 success on Saturday when Autumn Angel (The Autumn Sun) produced a rousing victory in the Australian Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m).
Just seven days on from Chain Of Lightning’s (Fighting Sun) shock win in the T J Smith Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m), Autumn Angel was aiming to produce a slight upset of her own in a field which was headed by New Zealand Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) and Vinery Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) heroine Orchestral (Savabeel), who was sent off the $1.65 favourite.
Coming out of barrier eight under Mark Zahra, Autumn Angel ($6) was settled at the rear of the ten-runner field before making a forward move approaching the home bend.
Having found trouble upon turning into the home straight, Zahra switched his mount out at the 300-metre marker and she battled bravely between both Orchestral and Zardozi (Kingman) ($6), eventually pulling clear of those two rivals inside the final 50 metres, beating the latter by 0.9 lengths with the Kiwi star just 0.1 lengths further back in third.
Providing Arrowfield Stud stallion The Autumn Sun (Redoute’s Choice) with his first Group 1 winner, Autumn Angel, winner of both the Kewney Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m) and Ethereal Stakes (Gr 3, 2000m), arrived into Saturday’s race on the back-up having run second in the Adrian Knox Stakes (Gr 3, 2000m) on April 6.
“The way she has thrived this week coming off the back-up. I was taken aback so much that when Mark [Zahra] got on her, I was worried that I might not have done enough with her this week, but she has thrived all week,” Moody said.
“A big special thanks to my team at home and to Anthony Cummings and his team who look after us and house us here at Randwick.
“The Randwick track staff, what a phenomenal job they have done over the last couple of weeks under trying circumstances. Last Saturday was phenomenal and to back it up with this track today, congratulations to Michael Wood and his team.”
Saturday’s victory marked Moody’s 59th Group 1 winner and the trainer was delighted with the recent results.
“She’ll (Katherine Coleman) think this is bloody easy, won’t she,” Moody quipped.
“This is great for Wylie [Dalziel] and the ownership group who backed me when I withdrew her from the VRC Oaks, where she was probably the favourite to wait for this one. It is great to be rewarded and nice to get one right once in-a-row.”
Zahra admitted post-race that not all went to plan in-running, but that the filly could potentially be suited to the Queensland Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) or even Caulfield Cup (Gr 1, 2400m).
“I wanted to be behind Orchestral or at least Basilinna, but the line I was in was the 200-1 pop. To be in that spot I would have had to restrict her the whole way and I thought I’m going to have to pinch two lengths and worry about the 600 [metre mark] when it comes up and fight her the whole way,” the jockey said.
“I knew I’d be going good the whole way and I was able to ease back, get in the clear and it was a great feeling the three of us coming together – great for the sport – and I was the strongest. I’ve never heard Moods so upbeat about a horse.
“Races like the Queensland Oaks and Caulfield Cup would definitely be on the radar for her, I would have thought.”
Autumn Angel (3 f The Autumn Sun – Angel Of Mercy by Hussonet) was a $230,000 purchase for Dalziel Bloodstock and Moody Racing from the draft of her breeders Arrowfield Stud at the 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
She is the best of three winners from four to come out of the Group 3-winning Hussonet (Mr Prospector) mare Angel Of Mercy, who was also second to Cosmic Endeavour (Northern Meteor) in the 2014 Tattersall’s Tiara (Gr 1, 1400m).
A $575,000 buy for Katsumi Yoshida at the 2014 National Broodmare Sale, Angel Of Mercy has a yearling filly by The Autumn Sun and a colt foal by his barnmate, Maurice (Screen Hero), while she was covered by the latter’s son and barnmate Hitotsu last spring.
Saturday’s success took Autumn Angel’s record to four wins and as many placings in just nine starts, with over $1.1 million in prize-money, while The Autumn Sun has had four stakes winners from a total of 79 starters, with 34 individual winners.