“It’s special to win eight in a row because when will this picket fence end? We don’t know. We won the group 1, the group 2s and the group 3s, but there’s a picket fence. I haven’t had one of those before”.
Waller said the victory was a relief, “but not for the winning sequence. It was just her race”.
“It was a special win and she deserves to be spoken about,” Waller said. “I can’t explain how good she is and what makes her so special, but she’s really got a gift.
“That was the first time we’ve really opened her up today, and to my surprise, she found that next level. I guess we thought it could be here, but we don’t expect it to be there. It’s a hard level to get to.”
As for the unavoidable question about whether Autumn Glow could replicate the feats of Waller’s legendary mare Winx – which won 33 races in a row, including 25 group 1s – Waller replied: “No chance. And I don’t care if she gets beaten. She’s a star in herself.”
The performance justified McDonald’s decision to ride in Sydney on Golden Eagle day, rather than at the VRC Derby card at Flemington, for the first time since 2019.
James McDonald lifts the Golden Eagle trophy.Credit: Getty Images
“She gives me that ‘Ooh la la’ feeling. I don’t think we’ve seen the best version of her yet either. So just incredible,” McDonald said. “She can be out on her feet and she just keeps finding.
“She’s incredible how you can give her a kick out of the gates and she just comes back, switches off and goes again. She absorbs pressure, she’s got an incredible turn of foot.
“She knew she was out there today. That was her first run where she really had an acid test put to her and she came through it well.”
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As for the future, McDonald said: “[Waller] is a genius, he’ll work it out. I don’t really need to tell him where he wants to put her but, God, I’d love to see her in a Cox Plate.”
Waller said Autumn Glow would go for a spell before returning for an autumn campaign.
McDonald and Waller combined in the next to win the group 3 Rosehill Gold Cup (2000m) with Wootton Verni, a $3 favourite, which dominated in a two-and-a-quarter length victory.
