‘I can’t fault her’
McEvoys confident of bold showing from Coco Sun as filly tackles South Australian Derby
Tony McEvoy is “very confident” his filly Coco Sun (The Autumn Sun) can continue the rumbling emergence of her sire – and amend half a century of painful history for her trainer – in Saturday’s South Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2500m).
McEvoy and co-trainer son Calvin will saddle Coco Sun in what will likely be the first instance since 2015 of a filly starting favourite in Morphettville’s time-honoured Classic.
Bookmakers last night had the robust filly around the $4.50 mark after her eye-catching run as the third peg in The Autumn Sun’s (Redoute’s Choice) memorable trifecta in last Saturday’s Australasian Oaks (Gr 1, 2000m), when Vibrant Sun beat Private Legacy into second.
Coco Sun, a $250,000 Inglis Classic buy for McEvoy and Belmont Bloodstock, is the only one of those three to back up for the Derby. That’s an indication of how well she’s progressed from the run, but she also has some imposing history to overcome.
The last filly to win the race was Lindsay Park’s Qafila (Not A Single Doubt) when she became her sire’s longest-distance Group 1 victor in 2019.
Perth star Delicacy (Al Maher) is the only other female winner of the past 15 editions, completing the Australasian Oaks-SA Derby double in 2015 as the latest filly to start favourite in the latter leg. That also came in the season when she beat an emerging galloper named Winx to Australia’s Champion Three-Year-Old Filly title.
But in a race featuring two strong chances from the female brigade – also including Chris Waller’s VRC St Leger (Listed, 2800m) winner by another staying sire on the rise in Ahuriri (Almanzor) – McEvoy last night gave a decidedly upbeat assessment of his confidence over Coco Sun.
“Very strong,” he told ANZ Bloodstock News. “I think it feels right. She looks like she’s going to handle the back-up, so I think she’s beautifully placed.
“Our plan was always to run in the Australasian Oaks and then play it by ear as to the Derby, and when she ran so well last week, we thought we’d back her up.
“She was third-up last week and she was fabulous. We’ve also still got five weeks until the Queensland Oaks, so it’s all very doable to back her up. And looking at her today, she seems normal, in good order, she’s eaten everything, is lovely and bright and moving well. I can’t fault her.”
Coco Sun will jump from gate ten of 16 – barrier eight sans emergencies – for Jamie Kah, who rode her for the first time when she held on strongly for third last Saturday after racing in the first four. Despite the shortish run to the first turn, McEvoy said the draw presented no fears, noting other key chances Ahuriri ($8.50), Bold Soul (Embellish, $8.50) and Warmonger (War Decree, $6.50) and had drawn ten, 12 and 14.
New Zealand raider Antrim Coast (Roc De Cambes), who won Moonee Valley’s Alister Clark Stakes (Gr 2, 2040m) after running second to a filly – Orchestral (Savabeel) – in the New Zealand Derby (Gr 1, 2400m), was a $6 second favourite last night. The Stephen Marsh-trained gelding will jump from gate six for Michael Dee.
McEvoy said Coco Sun had progressed “brilliantly” since he picked her out at Inglis Classic.
“She was just a gorgeous, deep, strong, powerful filly – a great mover with a very good pedigree,” he recalled. “I thought I was buying a miler, and I think we did, but I think she’ll also get to a mile and a half.”
After a winning debut over 1347m on a Geelong heavy 8 last June, Coco Sun in fact became the second of The Autumn Sun’s only two first-season stakes-winners. She scraped in during the last month of 2022-23 – and on the bottom rung – by taking Morphettville’s Oaklands Plate (Listed, 1400m).
Her spring campaign brought an eye-catching fifth in Flemington’s Wakeful Stakes (Gr 2, 2000m), followed five days later by another fifth in her grand final, the VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m). She was beaten 9.5 lengths that day, and while McEvoy was pleased enough with the run, he says she’s more developed now, and more likely to complete a strong 2500m.
“She actually stayed the trip in the spring, but they were just a bit good for her,” he said. “But she ran it out and toughed it out to run fifth. It was probably just before her time a bit.
“But overall, she’s just kept getting better and better as she’s gone on. If you look at her in the paddock, alongside all these three-year-olds out of these staying trips, walking around looking trained-up as they should, she looks like she’s ready for a 1400-metre race. She’s very deep, but she’s got an incredible lung capacity, and that’s why she can carry a little extra condition.”
All of this adds up to great deal of satisfaction for McEvoy that he listened to Arrowfield Stud boss John Messara in investing in their first-season sire The Autumn Sun in 2022, with hopes borne out brilliantly recently – first with Autumn Angel’s Australian Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m), and then with the Australasian Oaks trifecta.
“That was incredible – just in the wrong bloody order!” McEvoy said with a laugh.
“But The Autumn Sun, he’s doing the job. John was really preaching to me – and has been for a couple of years – that they’re not two years olds, you’ve got to wait; buy them – certainly buy them – but be patient and the results will come.
“And I think that’s ringing true, and that once again, if you don’t listen to John Messara you’ll pay the price. They’re only three, and I think they’ll be very good stayers over the next couple of years. I’ll certainly be buying more of them.”
Bred by Tyreel Stud, Coco Sun is the fifth and best foal of city winner Miss Hufflepuff (Encosta De Lago), who’s shown hints of versatility through her next foal Nymphadora (Yes Yes Yes), who was third at $101 in Randwick’s Inglis Nursery (RL, 1000m) in December.
While only two females have won the Derby since 2008, proud South Australian McEvoy said fillies had regularly run well in the race, first held a year before the inaugural Melbourne Cup in 1860 (but missing 15 editions since then due to two gaps in the late 19th century and another during World War II).
McEvoy himself hasn’t won the event as a trainer, but says he came closest to claiming it during his days in the saddle, when second on subsequent Cox Plate winner So Called (Sobig) behind triple Derby winner Stormy Rex (Storm Ruler) in 1977.
“We were a good thing beaten,” McEvoy says like it was yesterday. “We drew barrier 18, had a tough trip, had to do too much from the gate, and Stormy Rex, who was a fair galloper who won three Derbies, just got us.”
You might never forget a narrow loss, but victory for Coco Sun today would be ample compensation.
As for a most feared opponent, McEvoy believes Ahuriri stands a strong chance as she follows in the footsteps of So Called – winning a VRC St Leger en route to the SA Derby.
“These two girls’ form is just a bit stronger than the boys’ I reckon,” said McEvoy, also noting the fillies’ time for the 2000m in the Australasian Oaks (2:04.28) was substantially quicker than Bold Soul’s (2:06.88) four races earlier in the Chairman’s Stakes (Gr 3, 2000m), while conceding the letter was less genuinely run.
Waller was warm on the chances of Ahuriri, who could further fly the flag for Cambridge Stud’s Almanzor (Wootton Bassett) after his recent quinella in the Sydney Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) with Circle Of Fire and Athabascan.
A $210,000 Karaka purchase for Waller from Blandford Lodge’s draft, Ahuriri was a powerful 2.25 length winner of the VRC St Leger last start, when also in receipt of 2kg from her male rivals, as the first filly to take that event since 2010.
“I think she’ll run well. It was a dominant display in the St Leger,” Waller said on social media.
“She’s against the boys, but fillies get two kilos off the boys, and as we know, some of the girls are the best,” said the former trainer of Winx, Verry Elleegant, and many more.
Another Sydney trainer of some renown with the females, John Sargent, will this time have his chances carried by a colt, in Glad You Think So (So You Think). Regardless of the gender, Sargent was surprised by the $14 on offer last night, following Glad You Think So’s 4.47 length third, after leading, in the ATC Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) last start.
A pricey buy, by Sargent’s standards, when secured for $400,000 at Easter in tandem with a man well acquainted with So You Think – Think Big Stud’s Duncan Ramage – Glad You Think So drew gate 15 for Blake Shinn.
“We’ll be going forward from the draw and be right on speed. We want a truly-run race,” Sargent told ANZ.
“He’s in good order. I’m a bit surprised by the odds. I guess they’re thinking that his third in the Randwick Derby was on a heavy track, but he’s won his two races on good.
“He’s a big, scopey, typical So You Think type of horse. He wasn’t cheap, but he’s a nice staying type. We thought he’d make a Derby horse, if not a Cups horse. I’ll be hoping he gets to the Cups either this spring or next year.
“It’s a good field, but he should be right in there.”
Morphettville was last night a good 4, with fine weather forecast.