High class three-year-old Autumn Boy may not have a New Zealand suffix next to his name, but his Kiwi roots run deep.
The Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) winner was bred and sold by Beltana Stud’s Richard Rutherford, who is continuing to breed from the Chris Waller-trained colt’s dam Rosegarden.
“It was terrific result all around and he’s a cracking horse,” said Rutherford, whose boutique breeding operation is located at Parnassus, about 130km north of Christchurch.
Autumn Boy was offered through Amarina Farm’s draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale where he was sold to Waller Racing and Mulcaster Bloodstock for A$200,000 and is raced by South Island owner Glenn Ritchie.
“He was a magnificent colt, a beautifully balanced horse who just kept improving and Amarina did a wonderful job with him,” Rutherford said.
By The Autumn Sun, Autumn Boy has now won three of his five starts, with his stake earnings topping A$2 million.
The unraced Rosegarden is a daughter of multiple stakes winner O’Reilly Rose who failed to meet her $200,000 reserve at New Zealand Bloodstock’s National Yearling Sale.
Currently residing at Amarina, she has since produced a son and daughter of Yarraman Park’s Hellbent, a Group One-winning son and daughter of I Am Invincible.
The two-year-old was sold privately and is being broken in while the future of the filly has yet to be decided.
“It’s early days and she’s only a month old, she’s a beautiful filly and the mare was served by The Autumn Son last week,” Rutherford said.
“I’m only breeding from a couple of mares and I’ve got a few others, but I won’t be breeding from them this year.”
Autumn Boy is the third top-flight winner in Australia that Rutherford has bred from the family.
The colt’s granddam is a three-quarter sister to Gr.1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) winner Shamexpress, who has enjoyed a successful stud career at Windsor Park, while Affinity won a Gr.1 Caulfield Cup (2400m).
“I’ve had a lot of other Group One-placed horses, a second in the Epsom Handicap (1600m), The Metropolitan (2400m), The All-Aged Stakes (1400m) and the AJC Derby (2400m), although some years ago,” Rutherford said.
“Shamexpress and this one (Autumn Boy) have been the best recently.”
Rutherford is also looking forward to the career of another well-credentialled family member.
“I’ve got a half-sister by Super Seth to Rosegarden, and I think she’s an outstanding filly,” he said.
“She’s a two-year-old and I’ll race her, but I haven’t decided on a trainer yet.”