Arrowfield Buys 50% Interest in The Autumn Sun
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Photo: Mark Gatt/Courtesy of Arrowfield Stud
The Autumn Sun wins the Jaguar Land Rover J.J. Atkins Plate at Doomben
Arrowfield Stud has acquired a 50% interest in Australia's top colt, The Autumn Sun, from owner Hermitage Thoroughbreds and will manage his race career and develop his breeding career, according to an Oct. 10 announcement from Arrowfield principal John Messara.
"It just seems Arrowfield is the rightful place for this colt's future at stud—after all, we bred and sold him in partnership with The Aga Khan Studs, and we launched and stand his champion sire and, previously, his grandsire Danehill," Messara said in a statement. "He has physique, athleticism, and pedigree, all of the highest order, and I couldn't be more excited about the prospect of standing him at Arrowfield."
The Autumn Sun is a son of top Australian sire Redoute's Choice and out of the Galileo mare Azmiyna, a half sister to The Aga Khan's European champion and four-time group 1 winner Azamour. Selected by Mulcaster Bloodstock from Arrowfield's 2017 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, the colt was purchased for AU$700,000 (US$532,280) by Hermitage Thoroughbreds and Chris Waller Racing.
"This horse has amazing potential, and I feel we have unearthed only a small portion of what is to come," said Waller, who trains the colt. "His athleticism, temperament, good looks, and speed combine to create a horse that dominated at 2 and now into his 3-year-old season, and I have no doubt this will continue as a later 3-year-old and beyond.
"I have been fortunate to work with some very good horses, and that experience has allowed me to place The Autumn Sun with confidence in the races that we have chosen thus far," Waller continued. "He leaves a lasting memory for those privileged to watch him race, and I am sure this will transition to his progeny when the time comes to embark on his stud career."
The Autumn Sun has already made an impact on Australian racing with four wins from only five starts, two of them at the group 1 level. He was unbeaten at 2 with three wins that included the Jaguar Land Rover J.J Atkins Plate (G1) and confirmed his class with a victory in last month's De Bortoli Wines Golden Rose Stakes (G1).
Currently rated Australia's best 3-year-old by Timeform, The Autumn Sun is the dominant pre-post favorite for the $2 million MRC Caulfield Guineas (G1) Oct. 13, for which the barrier draw gave the colt an ideal position in post 5.