Champion jockey James McDonald finally got the opportunity to ride Autumn Glow – and it was worth the wait! Autumn Glow maintained her unbeaten record with consummate win in the Group 2 $300,000 Tea Rose Stakes (1400m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday. McDonald was riding Autumn Glow in race conditions after he couldn’t make the filly’s weight for her debut win last month and then he was interstate when she won the Up And Coming Stakes. But it is fair to say McDonald won’t want to give up the ride on the emerging Chris Waller-trained filly after she made it three wins from as many starts.
“Autumn Glow’s got all the class in the world, have a look at her,” McDonald said. “She’s just so economical in her action, she’s got a great constitution, good strength about her (and a) really good mind – and she’ll keep improving, too. “To Chris’ credit, he said, ‘you ride her, you’re on top, you go with her.
I’ve got as much faith in the filly as I do you.” McDonald had to ride Autumn Glow ($2.05 favourite) outside her comfort zone by settling outside the leader early before she forged to the front halfway down the straight and won untroubled by one-and-a-quarter lengths from the fast-finishing Snow In May ($14) with Manaal ($3.
90) a nose away third. Waller said the only riding instructions he gave McDonald were to have “Autumn Glow happy and comfortable”. “James said, ‘She’s got a beautiful action (and) I’m not going to take it away from her .