Hunter chasing Derby dream with Autumn Mystery
Twelve years after $4,000 purchase Polanski (Rakti) completed the Caulfield Classic (Gr 3, 2000m) and Victoria Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) double, Rory Hunter is hoping history can repeat itself as the emerging trainer strives to realise a “boyhood dream” with his bargain buy Autumn Mystery (The Autumn Sun).
So-named because his owners were mystified at how they managed to pick him for a mere $15,000, Autumn Mystery is now third favourite for the Derby after stringing together back-to-back wins under Blake Shinn, who is booked to continue their association in the three-year-old staying Classic at Flemington in just under a fortnight’s time.
Despite being six months away from reaching full maturity, Hunter believes his stable star has now developed an aura thanks to a new-found winning habit which has fully vindicated the enduring faith placed in him by his trainer, who saddled up his first runner less than three years ago.
With just ten horses in work and a relatively modest budget to play with at the sales, the odds are firmly stacked against the likes of Hunter so the magnitude of the opportunity to dine at racing’s top table so early in his career is certainly not lost on the 37-year-old.
“I’m pinching myself that we train one of the favourites for a race as prestigious as the Derby, it’s just a dream come true really,” Hunter told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“To have a live chance in one of the feature races during the Melbourne Cup Carnival is what every trainer dreams of when they start out. We’ll continue to monitor the horse over the next few days when he comes back under saddle. He’s been racing since July so it’s already been quite a long prep but at this stage it’s all systems go for the Derby.
“We won’t need to do much with him between now and then, he’s very fit so it will just be a case of maintaining his routine and keeping him ticking over. You could see how strong through the line he was on Saturday, so I would have no concerns over the extra 500 metres of the Derby. Once he saw daylight, he really exploded so I think the step up to 2500 metres should be really beneficial, as will the return to the big track at Flemington.”
Autumn Mystery’s victory extended a purple patch of spring form for his sire The Autumn Sun (Redoute’s Choice), who has resumed stud duties after a 12-month hiatus and is seemingly determined to make up for lost time.
Thanks chiefly to the recent exploits of his unbeaten mare Autumn Glow and her fellow Group 1 winner Autumn Boy, the Arrowfield resident has been propelled into the top five of the Australian Sires’ Premiership and he is now second only (by prize-money) to Darley’s Street Boss (Street Cry) in the three-year-old category.
Having fetched $1.8 million at the 2023 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, Autumn Glow’s price tag was precisely 120 times that of Autumn Mystery. Much to Hunter’s initial bemusement and subsequent delight, for some reason lot 547 from the Gilgai Farm draft failed to turn heads when he entered the ring at the 2024 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.
“I had him pegged as a $200,000 to $300,000 yearling,” said Hunter, who also recently acquired Autumn Mystery’s half-brother by Yes Yes Yes (Rubick) for the princely sum of $5,000 at the weanling sales.
“He was in the last ten lots to go through the ring on the last day of the sale, so I don’t know whether most of the buyers had gone home by then or had already spent their allocated budget. Whatever the reason, it was our luck that we were in the right place at the right time.
“The Autumn Suns were just starting to take off and you know that any horse bred by Rick Jamieson is going to be a quality individual. He was a magnificent looking horse and there were no issues with his x-rays, so we were very surprised to get him for that price.”
When the gavel fell at $15,000 to the bid of Hunter’s stable clients Nicholas and Denise Thompson, the humble horseman couldn’t wait to get the colt broken in and welcome him to his boutique stables on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
That keen sense of anticipation was only heightened when reports came through from the breakers that the horse had done everything that was asked of him. A subsequently seamless transition into life at the stables persuaded Hunter to throw his charge in at the deep end as a three-start maiden in this year’s Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m).
Despite being sent off a $41 outsider, Autumn Mystery closed off sharply from last at the 400-metre mark to finish ninth (beaten 4.5 lengths) behind Devil Night (Extreme Choice).
After a well-deserved holiday, Autumn Mystery returned in midwinter with a creditable effort at Caulfield behind subsequent Group 1 heroine Ole Dancer (Ole Kirk). When he was rolled in a Bendigo maiden as the $1.30 favourite two starts later, punters may have given Autumn Mystery the dreaded tag of a ‘non-winner’ but Hunter remained undeterred, safe in the knowledge that the extra distance of the Victoria Derby Preview (1800m) would bring out his best.
And so it came to pass, as the bay gelding swooped on his rivals to belatedly break his maiden before announcing himself as a serious Derby contender with another bravura performance on Caulfield Cup Day.
“We never lost faith in the horse for one minute,” Hunter assured ANZ Bloodstock News.
“He’s now a mature, professional horse, and he’s always been a natural athlete. He’s taken to everything very quickly, but at the start of his career he had a habit of missing the start and getting a long way back in his races. He’s got a beautiful big action so it can take him quite a long time to wind up and hit top gear, but once he got his first win on the board at Flemington the horse has just blossomed and his confidence has really grown.
“When you watched him in the mounting yard on Saturday, you could see he’s got that aura about him now so I think he now realises that he’s a good horse. That should hopefully see him in good stead in a couple of weeks time, and having Blake on board is another big vote of confidence because he’s ridden enough horses in his time to know a good one. Once he’s had a spell I think you’ll see an even better horse in six months’ time, so the future’s very exciting for him but for now we’re just focusing all our efforts on getting him ready for the Derby.”
Should Hunter etch his name onto the iconic trophy, he would join an illustrious rollcall of trainers including his former mentors Mick Price and Peter Moody, who gave him his first chance in racing.
Hunter’s tenure with Moody coincided with the emergence of a sprinting filly known affectionately in the stables as ‘Nelly’, who would subsequently attain global recognition as one of the world’s greatest sprinters.
First-hand exposure to Black Caviar’s (Bel Esprit) equine excellence lit a fire in Hunter, and the lessons and knowledge he acquired from the man they call ‘Moods’ are gradually beginning to bear fruit as he is striking at a very healthy 23.1 per cent from the 13 runners he has sent out so far this season.
“My time with Peter was an unreal experience,” said Hunter.
“He’s just an absolute freak, and probably the best horseman I’ve ever come across. The way he conditions and places his horses is pretty close to perfection, so I was very lucky to learn from one of the best in the business and I’ve definitely tried to take his approach and apply it to my own training methods.
“Obviously it was amazing to get my first stakes winner at Caulfield on Saturday, then to see Peter and Katherine [Coleman] win the Thousand Guineas [with Ole Dancer] made it even more special.”