Racing
Group 1 Verry Elleegant Stakes Preview 2026
The new superstar of Australian racing steps out at Randwick on Saturday.
Few horses have gotten Australian racing fans talking as much as unbeaten four-year-old mare Autumn Glow has in recent years.
A daughter of The Autumn Sun, she's won all nine starts to date, well handled by Chris Waller to preserve that record with wins in the Group 1 Epsom Handicap (1600m) and $10 million Golden Eagle (1500m) last preparation.
She resumed in open company in the Group 2 Apollo Stakes (1400m) and handled the rise with ridiculous ease, sent out $1.40 in betting against four other individual Group 1 winners (nine total between them) and never looked like losing.
Having sometimes been a horse without instant acceleration that just went through her gears and simply overpowered her rivals, Autum Glow's fresh win was a scary revelation for her opposition.
Landing just off the pace for James McDonald, Autumn Glow was under a tight hold up the Randwick rise as the others came under pressure before she ripped home in lightning-fast sectionals to put nearly three lengths on the next horse.
In doing so, she posted aTimeform
rating of 124 and signalled herself as the best horse in Australian racing.Saturday's Group 1 Verry Elleegant Stakes (1600m), named after another great Chris Waller mare, sees the opportunity for Autumn Glow to win her first weight-for-age Group 1 race, for which she will be prohibitively short in betting for again.
Many of the same rivals from the Apollo Stakes will be there again and while the likes of Aeliana, Lindermann, Ceolwulf and Antino will be better at a mile, so will Autumn Glow which is a scary thought.
The x-factor, outside of her, is the highly touted former import Sir Delius who resumes for the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott yard.
He took all before him in the Winter and Spring, winning a pair of Group 1 races - the Underwood Stakes (1800m) and Turnbull Stakes (2000m), beating champion mare Via Sistina in the latter.
He was favourite for the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup before failing Racing Victoria's veterinary scans which ruled him out of both races.
A powerful, lightly raced stayer in Europe, he's clearly developed the speed necessary to win the best races in Australia, although 1600m on Saturday will be short of his best.
Beaten a head by Lindermann over the same route in the Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) on resumption in the Spring was an excellent run, but not good enough to trouble Autumn Glow, who should make it a perfect 10/10 on Saturday.
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