The Autumn Sun set to shine in spring
Coco Sun aims for second Group 1 victory in Caulfield’s Underwood Stakes
With Coco Sun aiming for her second win in the Underwood Stakes (Gr 1, 1800m) at Caulfield and unbeaten fillies Autumn Glow and Snow In May going head-to-head in the Tea Rose Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) at Randwick, The Autumn Sun (Redoute’s Choice) looks set to potentially have a say in two of the feature races on Saturday.
Coco Sun, a $250,000 purchase at the 2022 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, became the second stakes winner for The Autumn Sun when she took out the Oaklands Plate (Listed, 1400m) at her second career start at Morphettville back in July 2023, before making her breakthrough at the same venue in the South Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) ten months later.
Jamie Kah rode the filly that day and the pair will be reunited for the first time since then on Saturday, when Coco Sun faces a highly competitive field featuring Godolphin’s commanding last-start winner Pericles (Street Boss), Yulong’s big-money import Place Du Carrousel (Lope De Vega) and the second favourite for the Caulfield Cup (Gr 1, 2400m) in Fawkner Park (Zoffany).
Despite the strength of the opposition, co-trainer Calvin McEvoy is confident Coco Sun can acquit herself well after taking plenty of improvement from her first-up run at Caulfield three weeks ago, when she closed off nicely over 1400 metres.
The step up to 1800 metres can only be viewed as a positive for a mare who has aspirations of competing in the Caulfield Cup, and her prospects of a sixth career win would be further enhanced if Melbourne’s notoriously fickle spring weather were to deliver a downfall over the coming days.
“We would love a bit of rain around because she loves getting her toe in the ground,” McEvoy, who trains in partnership with his father Tony, told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“She’s going really well and we were delighted with her final gallop on Tuesday morning. She’s certainly come on from her first-up run, which was definitely a pass mark especially as she got squeezed for room in the straight. The track was also pretty firm that day so if we can get a softer surface on Saturday, I think she’ll be right in the race.”
Saturday’s performance and her intended run in the Might And Power Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) in three weeks’ time will determine whether or not connections press onto the Caulfield Cup seven days later.
But after being assigned 50.5kg when the Cup weights were announced on Tuesday morning, the McEvoys and her sole owner Terry Jarvis would have been licking their lips at the prospect of testing their mare in the $5 million test of speed and stamina.
“It’s always very exciting to have a runner in the biggest races, but of course her form would need to warrant us heading to the Caulfield Cup,” McEvoy said.
“We haven’t fully committed to her spring program yet, but it was always the plan to get her into the Caulfield Cup with a lightweight so we will stick to weight-for-age races to avoid her getting a penalty. History tells you that if mares can get conditions to suit and they’re in good form heading into the Cup, it looks a winnable weight.”
Over the New South Wales border, The Autumn Sun will look to continue his recent run of success in Sydney when two of his more precocious types line up in a red-hot renewal of the Tea Rose Stakes.
In recent weeks, Matusalem (The Autumn Sun) scored back-to-back metropolitan wins for Arrowfield’s stallion under Kerrin McEvoy, who takes the reins on the John O’Shea and Tom Charlton-trained filly Snow In May at Randwick on Saturday.
A $150,000 purchase at the 2023 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, Snow In May will attempt to bridge a leap in grade when she tackles some of the best three-year-olds in the land, including Chris Waller’s boom filly and another daughter of the Arrowfield Stud stallion, Autumn Glow.
But Charlton, who has enjoyed a very strong start to his training partnership with Godolphin Australia’s former head honcho, said the stable is keen to test Snow In May’s mettle following back-to-back provincial wins over 1200 metres at Wagga and Newcastle.
“She will clearly have her work cut out against the likes of Autumn Glow, Manaal and Ameena, but we really like the filly and do think she belongs in this grade,” said Charlton.
“She’s been faultless all preparation, and any young horse that can string two wins together must have some ability. She took on the older horses last time at Newcastle and although it may not have been the strongest race, she was impeded quite badly twice yet still managed to pick herself up and win decisively, which is the sign of a good horse with a will to win.
“We’re under no illusions about the task she faces on Saturday, but the step up to 1400 metres will definitely suit her and I think the mile will be well within her scope. We’re still learning about her and we’re probably throwing her in at the deep end, but it will be good to see where she fits in and will give us a guide on where we take her next.
“She’s only had the two career starts so she’s obviously still open to plenty of improvement, but if she were to run well on Saturday a race like the Flight Stakes would definitely come into calculations, or there’s also the Edward Manifold Stakes in Melbourne on the same day. So there are plenty of options coming up, but we’ll get through Saturday first and then let her guide us.
“As we’ve seen before with The Autumn Sun’s progeny, they often come on leaps and bounds as they get deeper into their three-year-old seasons. So even if she doesn’t quite hit the heights in the spring, I think you’ll see a really nice filly in the autumn.