Being particular about chauffeurs, in Sydney having one, Stephen The Stick, worthy of Royalty, the Comanchero, beard clipped rough but sharp of eye, navigating to Royal Randwick on Saturday added character to the Autumn Glow occasion.
Never before has so much personally been paid for a turf experience, including the best of Flemington and Cox Plates, Royal Ascot, the Kentucky Derby, the Grand National at Aintree, the Epsom Derby, Japan Cup and the splendour of Shatin and it was worth every cent.
Emphasised in the Winx Stakes, Autumn Glow is special and so, too, is Sheza Alibi. Yes, I’ve seen better, and superior races but the magnet with her is movement, even before she cuts loose under James McDonald, rings bells.
Autumn Glow was chasing redemption, prior to Saturday coming off a defeat. Would she regain her status, not champion but still on the rise?
Once it was a short journey to Randwick. Now domiciled on the Central Coast, under normal circumstances the Sydney journey is smooth, hardly the situation on Saturday.
One Central Coast resident, restricted to public transport, left home at 5.30 am on Saturday for the meeting. He, too, ended well satisfied.
Perhaps the major element regarding Autumn Glow in the Winx was her scope for improvement. Maestro with greats, Chris Waller has plenty to sculpt, if anything, more than Sheza Alibi, another not fully wound-up but with enough, coupled with class, to make it a worthwhile match on Saturday.
Sheza Alibi was slow to begin, otherwise would have been closer at the finish. No doubt Autumn Glow has the ability to be a major contender for The Everest. Certainly she would provide strong opposition to the undisputed champion, Hong Kong’s Ka Ying Rising.
Alas when taken out of her comfort zone in the Queen Elizabeth at Randwick due to the 2000 metre journey, Autumn Glow faltered. John Messara, the managing part-owner, could be wary but coming back to 1200 metres would be much more to her liking.
No doubt the Saturday morning withdrawal of stablemate Beiwacht took zing out of the weight-for-age sprint due to jockey Nash Rawiller’s predilection for the unexpected. The stallion was a victim of a race day temperature not trainer manipulation.
While the Winx lived up to expectations, the prelims were common: Pembrey, impressive in the Toy Show, was later touted as a candidate for The Everest. She accounted for Bangkok Hottie, downed in Midway class previously.
Earlier Prima Bella, developed through the winter so well by Matthew Smith, scored in the Toy Show which lacked the calibre of the corresponding race 12 months back. The winner in 2025? Autumn Glow.
The imported King Of The Sea beat little in the Drinkwise Mile but will take better events, while the flair of Murwillumbah trainer Matt Dunn with Highways is remarkable: 50th on Saturday with Mrs Goldberg. Rawiller on board helps.
CEO Steve McMahon commented: “It was a brilliant day, with an energy and excitement that shows just how much people are getting behind Sydney racing in Spring.
“This is just the beginning and there’s a real sense that Sydney racing is ready to take another big step forward over the coming months.”
“Steps” is relevant. Hopefully the newly installed Administrator will be taken to view the escalator section that was non-operational in the Queen Elizabeth stand.
Also the music that boomed when Autumn Glow returned to the enclosure indicated the operator is tone deaf. Memorable occasions can be enhanced with staging. The ATC falls short in the area. Autumn Glow was GOOD unlike the subject for the diatribe from Helen Sinclair, sent by Martin King, the racecourse photographer.
“Racing in the regions: this program highlights the broader failures of Racing NSW as an organisation,” Sinclair, who “spent the best part of 25 years running country race clubs: Scone, Muswellbrook, Tamworth and Manning Valley, in part wrote.
“First of all look at the projects, they chose to fund: Scone where Racing NSW owns the freehold land, got $20 million in grant money. Cessnock, a track owned by Racing NSW got the biggest sum at $11.5 million, Hawkesbury, a club administered by Racing NSW, received $4.8 million. Moruya, a club whose track is owned by Racing NSW, received $700,000 in grant funding.
Consider the real estate of Racing NSW, the millions being spread far and wide, and Randwick the showplace of the industry, being derelict. Bad, but not UGLY like the horse manure being heaped on The Swans culture.
“A bit tough on the Swans players before we know what actually happened. The reaction typifies life under the heel of the radical feminists. Due process of the law is a thing of the past; men are now guilty until proven innocent. No reason why you should be aware of this Max, but believe me, thousands of men are.” Jack commented on last Friday’s blog. My sympathy is with the club not the playboys.
The five players involved in the Pulman debacle in Melbourne breached The Swans code of behaviour in a savage error of judgement influenced by booze.
Buck’s nights can produce more action than what has been reported regarding the Pulman party. Allow the police to take the appropriate criminal law measures. As yet none have been necessary.
But to blame the “culture” for the grog fuelled shivoo is balderdash. There are so many greats behind The Swans, mine in particular are Graham Pash, the Sydney director who influenced me into AFL, a harder conversion than Muhammad Ali to Islam, “Kenso Ken” the grey but happy mascot, a mate since the 1950s and so enthusiastic for them.
On the battlefield immortals, headed in my time by Adam Goodes and Buddy with a vibe continued last Sunday at the Sydney Cricket Ground by Errol Gulden, Tom Papley and Brodie Grundy, supported by veterans and the baby-faced, producing the blood, sweat and tears. It cannot be diminished by the “frolicsome five”, shickered when their energy and focus should have been focused with the finals.
On Saturday night I neither confirm nor deny, riding pillion north on a Harley Davidson up the Freeway in a blaze of red and white.
