Ranvet reward for Aeliana

After a season of near-misses against elite opposition, New Zealand-bred mare Aeliana (NZ) (Castelvecchio) broke through for a richly deserved second Group One success in Saturday’s A$1 million Ranvet Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill.

The Chris Waller-trained daughter of Castelvecchio was a stunning five-length winner of the Gr.1 Australian Derby (2400m) last autumn, but until Saturday, her four-year-old season had been a story of ‘so close, but so far’.

She gave Horse of the Year Via Sistina (Fastnet Rock) an almighty scare fresh up in the Gr.1 Winx Stakes (1400m) in August, where only a neck separated them at the line. Aeliana then ran second in the Gr.1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m), fifth in the Gr.1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m), an unlucky sixth in the Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m), then was runner-up behind superstar stablemate Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun) in the Gr.2 Apollo Stakes (1400m) and Gr.1 Verry Elleegant Stakes (1600m).

Waller split Autumn Glow and Aeliana on Saturday, with Autumn Glow pointing instead towards the Gr.1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m), and that left Aeliana as $1.60 favourite to claim her Ranvet reward.

Aeliana was ridden patiently by James McDonald, who had her travelling sweetly in fourth among a field of five.

McDonald presented Aeliana at the top of the straight and she soon drew up alongside her front-running stablemate Lindermann (Lonhro), but that rival refused to let her pass without a fight. They battled tooth and nail through the last 150m, with Aeliana gradually getting the upper hand and edging ahead to win by a short neck.

The Ranvet was the 129^th Group One win for McDonald, equalling Damien Oliver’s all-time record for an Australian-based jockey. It was fitting that he reached that number in partnership with fellow expat Kiwi horseman Waller – who has provided 54 of his Group One wins – and on a New Zealand-bred horse. McDonald broke the record less than an hour later when he won the Gr.1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) on Aeliana’s stablemate Autumn Boy (The Autumn Sun).

“It’s pretty special,” Waller said. “I’m just lucky to train lots of good horses and have an association with a terrific young man.

“Aeliana was made to fight for it today. Lindermann is a good horse on his day, and I think Nash (Rawiller, jockey) controlled the race really well. Aeliana had to be good to win, obviously with Sir Delius (Frankel) on our back as well. It gave me a bit of a scare when he came with us.

“But then they sort of broke clear from him and it was a fight between the stablemates. There’s an awesome crowd here today and it gave them a great spectacle.”

McDonald deflected credit onto Aeliana, who he had last ridden on raceday when she was runner-up in the Gr.1 Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield in the spring of 2024.

“She's just incredible,” McDonald said. “Her tenacity to find the line was just superb. She’s been building to something like that, and I've got to give credit to the second horse, because they made us work. I was thinking, ‘This is not how the script's supposed to go.’ 

“Nash is a genius when it comes to that. He just gets things on his own terms. It wasn't ideal, that's for sure, because he had a picnic up in front. But I was on a good horse and she deservedly won that one.”

The Ranvet Stakes was the fifth win of a 17-start career for Aeliana, who has placed on another seven occasions and has now earned over A$3.5 million. Syndicators Star Thoroughbreds paid $180,000 to buy her from the Rich Hill Stud draft during Book 1 of Karaka 2023.

Aeliana was bred by Nearco Stud and Rich Hill Thoroughbreds and is by Arrowfield Stud stallion Castelvecchio out of the Star Witness mare Temolie.

Aeliana is the first foal to race out of Temolie, who was herself a placegetter on the racetrack and is a half-sister to Star Thoroughbreds’ Group One winner Invincibella (I Am Invincible), as well as the Group Three winner Secret Blaze (Sizzling) and Listed winner Extreme Flight (Extreme Choice).

Rich Hill Stud bought Temolie for A$200,000 from the 2021 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale on the Gold Coast, when she was carrying Aeliana.

Temolie has been served by Rich Hill’s headline stallion Proisir every spring since then, producing filly foals in 2022, 2023 and 2024. The first of those Proisir fillies was bought by Ciaron Maher Bloodstock and TFI for $250,000 at Karaka 2024, while Aeliana’s owners Star Thoroughbreds paid $300,000 to buy the filly offered by Rich Hill during Book 1 of Karaka 2025 last year. – NZ Racing Desk.

Autumn Boy lifts McDonald to Group One record

Expat New Zealand jockey James McDonald achieved a record-breaking win in Saturday’s Gr.1 Sky Racing Rosehill Guineas (2000m), and he did it on an exceptional colt bred and raced by South Islanders.

McDonald’s victory aboard Autumn Boy (The Autumn Sun) in the A$750,000 three-year-old feature at Rosehill was his 130^th success at Group One level, which took him one ahead of the previous Australasian record of 129 held by Damien Oliver.

McDonald had equalled the record when he won the previous race, the Gr.1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m), aboard the Kiwi-bred Aeliana (NZ) (Castelvecchio). He later rode a third consecutive Group One winner on the Rosehill card, the undefeated Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun) in the George Ryder Stakes (1500m), to lift his tally to 131.

“It’s lovely, but it’s a testament to the horses that I ride because they are phenomenal,” the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame jockey said. “There’s no two ways about it, I do ride the best horses and I’m very grateful for that opportunity.

“To get to a mark like this, it’s obviously special, especially with how I look up to Damien Oliver.

“I’m humbled by the support. To be honest, I flicked social media off this week and just focused on my rides. But Katelyn (Mallyon, wife) would mention, ‘Someone said kind words about you.’ That means so much. Whether I deserve it, it’s up to people’s opinion. It doesn’t worry me.

“If my girls in ten years’ time look up and say, ‘Gee, Dad, you’re pretty good,’ that would mean more to me than whether someone thinks I’m the best or not.”

While McDonald deservedly dominates the headlines, Autumn Boy’s Rosehill Guineas heroics were also worthy of accolades. The valuable colt had previously taken out the Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) in the spring and is now a Group One winner over both 1600m and 2000m.

McDonald settled Autumn Boy in fifth on Saturday, one off the rail. He was briefly in a pocket coming down the side of the track, but at the top of the home straight McDonald spotted an opening on the outside of Gr.1 Victoria Derby (2500m) and Australian Guineas (1600m) winner Observer.

Autumn Boy’s response when McDonald pushed the button was explosive. He dashed through the gap and bounded to the lead at the 200m mark.

Autumn Boy powered clear and the result was in no doubt from there. He crossed the line two lengths ahead of the late-finishing Green Spaces (Street Boss) and Observer (Ghaiyyath).

Bred by Richard Rutherford and racing in the colours of former Ritchies Transport owner Glenn Ritchie, Autumn Boy has now had eight starts for four wins, three placings and A$2.67 million in stakes.

Autumn Boy has followed in the famous footsteps of his sire The Autumn Sun, who completed the same Caulfield-Rosehill Guineas double during the 2018-19 season. Like The Autumn Sun, Autumn Boy is trained by Chris Waller.

“Autumn Boy is the right horse to have a big celebration like this on for James, because he’s so laid-back,” Waller said. “He’s got the best attitude.

“He’s obviously by The Autumn Sun, who won this race himself and had a great temperament as well, which he’s passing on to his stock.

“We wanted to try Autumn Boy at 2000m for the first time. He’s got great owners, the Ritchies. I mentioned to them after the Caulfield Guineas that the only disappointing thing might be that he has a short career, because he’s such a wonderful and valuable colt. They said, ‘Oh, we're not in a rush to retire him, we want to keep them racing.' So that's great. It's good to see these colts race on and I'm sure he will.

“So, yeah, we ticked the box for 2000m. We’ll pick out some nice races in the spring for him.”

Rutherford, renowned for his Baltana Stud in North Canterbury, bred Autumn Boy out of his homebred Savabeel mare Rosegarden (NZ). She is an unraced daughter of O’Reilly Rose (NZ), who won nine races up to Group Three level and also placed in the Gr.1 New Zealand Stakes (2000m).

Autumn Boy was offered by Amarina Farm during the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, where Waller Racing and Mulcaster Bloodstock bought him for A$200,000.

“He was a magnificent colt, a beautifully balanced horse who just kept improving and Amarina did a wonderful job with him,” Rutherford recalled earlier this season.

Rosegarden has since produced a colt and a filly by Yarraman Park’s Hellbent, a Group One-winning son of I Am Invincible. She returned to The Autumn Sun last spring. – NZ Racing Desk.

Te Akau on top in Wellington Guineas

A brilliant front-running ride from leading jockey Craig Grylls paved the way for gutsy filly Origin Of Love (Snitzel) to bolt away with the Gr.2 Taylor Property Plus Wellington Guineas (1600m) at Trentham for the Te Akau Racing team.

Grylls wasn’t taking no for an answer when he rolled forward from barrier rise on the Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-prepared three-year-old and once he got to the lead he dictated the tempo to his nine rivals throughout.

The daughter of Snitzel looked to be travelling well within herself as she neared the home turn and once Grylls balanced her around the home turn she showed plenty of toe to put a break on the chasing pack which was headed by fellow Waikato raiders Flashback (NZ) (Darci Brahma) and Faultless (NZ) (Tivaci).

Grylls said go at the 250m and the filly hit the afterburners to dash away, eventually easing at the line to beat Midnight Train (NZ) (Yes Yes Yes) who held second from the late closing Alottago (Tagaloa).

Bergerson was thrilled with the effort from a filly who had been thereabouts of late without finding the top step of the podium.

“I thought Gryllsy summed it up really well as it looked like he was going to get trapped wide, but she got across quite nicely (to the lead) in the end,” Bergerson said.

“He slackened the tempo then turned it on at the right time, so it was a really positive ride.

“Fair play to the horse as she has had a massive season. She went down south early and we settled her in there and she has progressed so well.

“She has come off some terrible troubles up north and I can’t thank the team down south and at home enough as she hasn’t been easy.”

Bergerson indicated this would be the last run for Origin Of Love in this preparation as she would now most likely head to the spelling paddock.

“As I said she has had a massive season and fair play to the horse as she has gotten better and better,” he said.

“I think the spelling paddock is definitely calling her.”

Grylls also paid tribute to the filly who had earlier in the season run fifth to Well Written (Written Tycoon) in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton.

“By the time I got across we were right down the back (straight) but we were going in a straight line and I was happy to roll forward,” Grylls said.

“When she balanced up she found and I tried to nurse her. She found again so in the end I really didn’t have to go for her.

“It was a really good run and she has put them away with a wicked turn of foot.”

The daughter of Snitzel and Camelot mare Re Edit was purchased by Te Akau Racing boss David Ellis CNZM for A$440,000 from the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.

From a ten-start career, Origin Of Love has recorded three wins and four placings and has earned $320,990 for the Te Akau 2024 Magic Fillies Breeding Syndicate.

Origin Of Love provided Te Akau with their fourth win in theWellington Guineas, having scored most recently in 2023 with Cognito.-Kevin Robertson, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

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