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 130th 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.
