2024 The Championships Day 2, Royal Randwick Racecourse
Peter Moody and Wylie Dalziel win the Group 1 Australian Oaks at Randwick with Autumn Angel (Photo by Bronwen Healy. The Image is Everything)
The Championships: Day 2 at Royal Randwick.
Autumn Angel wins the Australian Oaks for Dalziel Racing and co trainer Peter Moody (Photo Credit: Darren Tindale – The Image is Everything )
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Autumn Angel ridden by Mark Zahra wins the TAB Kewney Stakes at Flemington Racecourse in Flemington, Australia. (Photo by Brett Holburt/Racing Photos)
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Autumn Angel ridden by Billy Egan wins the Ladbrokes Communities Plate at Ladbrokes Park Lakeside Racecourse in Springvale, Australia. (Photo by Pat Scala/Racing Photos)
When The Journey Started
Wylie Dalziel and Peter Moody thought they’d bought a lovely looking filly when Wylie signed the docket for lot 177 at the 2022 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale. They were right, so right but the journey was higher, and lower than anyone foresaw.
What A Start
Autumn Angel started her racing career with a string of remarkable achievements:
- Winner of the prestigious Group 1 Australian Oaks
- Winner of the Group 2 Kewney Stakes
- Winner of the Group 3 Ethereal Stakes
She boasted an impressive record of 4 wins and 5 placings from just 11 starts
Autumn Angels total career earnings are $1,188,040
Peter Moody, Autumn Angels co trainer with Katherine Coleman had high praise for the mare, saying “I’ve had some good ones and trust me, this girl was right up there in the top bracket”. Likewise Wylie Dalziel described her as “the best filly I’ve ever had anything to do with”.
Autumn Angel: A Star’s Career Cut Short
Dalziel Racing, our wonderful owners and the wider racing world was dealt a devastating blow when Peter Moody shared the news of Autumn Angel’s career-ending tendon injury. Our talented daughter of The Autumn Sun, bred by Arrowfield Stud, had captured the hearts of all racing people with her outstanding performances – we wonder what might have been?
Unfulfilled Potential
The racing community will forever be left to ponder what Autumn Angel might have achieved if not for her untimely injury. She was nominated or targeting some of the biggest races including:
- The $10 million Golden Eagle
- A potential run in the prestigious Cox Plate
- Entries in the Epsom Handicap
Wylie Dalziel shared the heartbreak felt by all involved saying, “Naturally we were disappointed with the injury, because she’d come back enormous. The four-year-old mare had shown significant physical improvement during her spell, with Moody and his team amazed at her development”.
A Silver Lining
Autumn Angel’s racing career was cruelly cut short, her story doesn’t end here.
In a swift turn of events Autumn Angel was sold at a special single horse Inglis sale for an impressive $1.225 million to Walnut Farm / Yulong Stud. This transition to a breeding career offers some consolation to her connections and supporters, we’ll look very forward to seeing her yearlings starting in a few years.
Yulong Investments General Manager, Vin Cox, speaking on behalf of the buyers explained the mare’s potential as a broodmare: “She’s a particularly nice mare and she’ll fit in really well in our broodmare band. She’s a Group 1 winner, and she won, in my opinion, one of the best editions of the Australian Oaks in recent times”.
The Future
Sadly we’ll never get to see Autumn Angel reach her full potential on the racetrack but her legacy will live on through her progeny. As a daughter of the promising young sire The Autumn Sun, and with her own impressive race record, she is poised to make a real impact in the breeding barn.
As racing fans, we can only imagine what heights Autumn Angel might have scaled if given the chance.
However, her brief but brilliant career serves as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of horse racing and the importance of cherishing every moment of a champion’s journey.