Autumn Boy emulates sire & grand-sire in Guineas
Autumn Boy is the 5th Caulfield Guineas G1 winner in the past decade that is by an Arrowfield stallion, or was bred by Arrowfield. (PHOTO: Darren Tindale)
Redoute’s Choice in 1999. The Autumn Sun in 2018. And now Autumn Boy has joined them as a winner of the $3 million MRC Caulfield Guineas 1600m G1, producing a decisive turn of foot to score from Planet Red (by Admire Mars) and become The Autumn Sun’s 5th Group 1 winner.
Autumn Boy’s victory, just 7 days after Autumn Glow’s outstanding Epsom H. G1 win, propels The Autumn Sun into second spot on the Australian General Sires’ Premiership with $4.2 million prizemoney.
It is both poignant and prescient that he has – at least for now – headed off his former barnmate, Champion Sire Snitzel who holds third place on the Sires’ table after his second posthumous Group 1 winner Transatlantic defied all challenges in the MRC Toorak H. G1, the race before the Guineas.
LIKE FATHER LIKE SON ☀️
Autumn Boy wins a dramatic Caulfield Guineas, joining his sire The Autumn Sun as a Guineas Champion! Damian Lane and Chris Waller go back-to-back in the 3YO Classic 🤝 pic.twitter.com/XztL6fOBNU
— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) October 11, 2025
Autumn Boy’s jockey Damian Lane (described as “a world-class sportsman” by trainer Chris Waller) said, “Beautiful colt, just takes everything in his stride, very easy to deal with and a great turn of foot when needed. So you need that to win these big races, and when he joined in, he really joined in.”
“I had a great run. I was able to use my barrier speed, was good, and just found myself in a bit of a tricky spot in the corner. But once I navigated that, he put the race away pretty quick. Very easy horse to handle, and as a result, had a nice run.”
Chris Waller said, “We’re proud of all the horses that come through the stable. But when we’ve got champions like The Autumn Sun and we’ve got sons and daughters, it’s pretty special. Last week, Autumn Glow, now it’s a super colt with Autumn Boy; it’s pretty special.”
The Waller-Lane combination also won last year’s Caulfield Guineas with Arrowfield graduate Private Life.
Although foaled, raised and sold by Amarina Farm in Australia’s Upper Hunter Valley, Autumn Boy was bred by Richard Rutherford and is raced by Glenn Ritchie, both Cantabrians who hail from north & south of Christchurch in New Zealand.
From the unraced Savabeel mare Rosegarden, he is from a family owned and managed across five decades by Richard and his late mother Marie, based at Beltana Stud in North Canterbury.
The colt’s 4th dam is Geraniums Red, an unraced daughter of superstar racehorse Brigadier Gerard & the 1968 Irish Oaks winner Celina, whose second foal Affinity (by Zamazaan) won the 1984 Caulfield Cup G1 for Hall of Fame trainer Jim Moloney.
The family has also produced multiple stakeswinner O’Reilly Rose and her three-quarter brother Shamexpress, winner of the Newmarket H. G1 and sire of World Champion Sprinter and Everest favourite Ka Ying Rising.
Purchased for $200,000 by Waller Racing & Mulcaster Bloodstock from Amarina at the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale, Autumn Boy has now won three of his 5 starts, including a Listed Race at two, and just over $2 million. Chris Waller explained the process of developing him.
“As a young horse before he even trialled, we were getting positive feedback. When he trialled, it was positive. When he had his first run, he beat a short-price favourite from the stable at a big price. Everything’s been positive, we took him to Queensland and gave him a trip away. I think we did that with his dad as well, maybe all of our Caulfield Guineas winners. It’s just about experience, we know they’ve got talent and harnessing that.”
