JAGUAR LAND ROVER J.J.

ATKINS PLATE (GROUP 1)

DEBUTING just six weeks ago, The Autumn Sun has capped a rapid rise with victory in the 1,600-metre Group 1 JJ Atkins for juveniles at Doomben. “He oozes quality,” said jockey Kerrin McEvoy. “The exciting thing is, he’s nowhere near the ceiling yet. He came here today, away from home, and he hasn’t turned a hair. He handled himself fantastic.”

A son of Redoute’s Choice, The Autumn Sun is out of the unraced Irish-bred Galileo mare Azmiyna, a half-sister to Azamour.

Unbeaten now in three starts, The Autumn Sun led home a Chris Waller-trained quinella with the Zoustar colt Zousain second, ahead of the Not A Single Doubt filly Fundamentalist.

“It’s a Group 1 race with so much at stake and only certain horses can take that step so quickly and excel,” said Waller.

“The Autumn Sun will be a Caulfield Guineas horse and I’d say Zousain will be kept to the shorter races like the Golden Rose and Coolmore.”

QUINELLA

The win made it a second group race quinella for Sydney’s star stable, as Waller has earlier taken out the Group 2 Queensland Guineas with the Fastnet Rock gelding Sambro winning ahead of his stablemate the Ocean Park colt Seaway.

A winning stable treble came in the last as Invincibella took out the Group 2 Dane Ripper Stakes. By I Am Invincible, Invincibella is out of the unraced Galileo mare Abscond.

Victorian chief steward moves to Singapore

RACING Victoria’s chief steward Terry Bailey has resigned to take a position as chairman of stewards in Singapore. Bailey had been in his present role since 2008. He takes over in Singapore from Peter Chadwick who will take up a role as Queensland chief steward having spent the past 18 years in Singapore, 13 as chief steward.

Winx’s sister to Maher for training

CIARON Maher has been given the responsibilty of training the Snitzel half-sister to Winx, Courchevel. She is the first filly Vegas Showgirl has thrown since Winx with breeder John Camilleri choosing not to offer her at the sales.“I first saw her about six months ago and she was fairly immature and leggy, and now she’s really developed into a lovely horse and she’s quite a big strong filly now,” said Maher.