The 2026 edition of the Verry Elleegant Stakes has been run, with Chris Waller’s talented mare Autumn Glow remaining unbeaten and stretching her winning streak to 10.
Below is what the winning trainer, winning jockey and beaten riders had to say following the Group 1 feature.
Winning Trainer: Chris Waller
What makes her so good?: “She does everything right, simple as that. Doesn’t matter where she draws, what the track conditions are, or distances, she puts herself in the race. A different type of horse to some of those good horses I’ve trained when they get back and they have your heart in your mouth, but I still have my heart in my mouth. But, yeah, she’s up on the speed. She puts herself there, so that’s the difference.”
On runner-up Aeliana: “She’s a pretty good horse, simple as that. I think that next start they’d head different ways, thanks to this, because it’s not good for the nerves. Yes, she’s a very good horse, Aeliana, and she’ll head to the Ranvet.”
On the path ahead: “George Ryder. I’d love to try her at 2000m, but she’s got to be dominant in her next win to give us that ultimate satisfaction that she can run the 2000m, otherwise it’s probably the Doncaster.
“She’s got a lot of weight, but she’s a good horse.”
On running in the Doncaster: “I’ll talk to Mr. (John) Messara and the Hermitage team in Hong Kong. I respect what they’ve got to say more than anything. It’s still in play, yes, definitely still in play.
“The only thing with the Doncaster, there’s a few unknowns. You can get barrier draws, like barrier 20 and things like that. She’s had some tricky draws in her previous races, but I guess when you’ve got a smaller weight-for-age field where your draws aren’t as important, it makes the job a bit easier.”
Winning Jockey: James McDonald
What makes her so good?: “Her demeanour, her presence, she knows she’s so good. You can just see her strut around, even cantering to the start looking around like ‘you guys have got none’. She’s pretty good and she moves like a dream.”
“She just breathes so well and so push-button. She’s got an incredible turn of foot. We weren’t going to see the same performance we did first-up because of the ground. Even though it wasn’t to her liking she was always going to win, even if I went another furlong.”
Were you worried about Aeliana?: “Not really, she does enough. Two very good mares obviously and that’s just the beauty about Glow, like she’s 10 from 10 and Chris has been there and done it all before. So he knows what to do with her. I guess she can’t be in better hands because obviously it’s a lot of pressure with her.”
Where he thinks she should go: “I think she should run Queen Elizabeth. She’ll win it.”
Beaten Jockeys:
Chad Schofield (Ceolwulf): “A stepping stone into his preparation. Obviously he travelled well with the good run. Probably needed the run late.”
Craig Williams (Sir Delius): “Great performance first up. The winner is an exceptional horse. The winner and second horse have had a run under their belt and they were too sharp. They sprinted better than my horse today but loved his performance first up.”
Nash Rawiller (Lindermann): “Might have found the track a bit shifty I reckon. It has dried out a bit but sometimes when they don’t get that footing, it can be worse than a heavy track. He has done it a couple of times where he hasn’t gone. Today was that occasion.”
Adam Hyeronimus (Wootton Verni): “Very good. He is ready to rock and roll in the right race. 2000m and a soft track will be hard to beat.”
Tommy Berry (Soul Of Spain): “Pretty exciting performance from a horse that is going to get over further. He is in great order this preparation. Look out for him when he gets to 2000m+.”
Sam Clipperton (Valiant King): “He has had a nice little pipe opener. Hasn’t run too bad at all.”
Tim Clark (Trinity College): “I thought the last bit of his race was really good through the line. He will continue to improve as he gets over further.”
Zac Lloyd (Aeliana): “Unbelievable run. She is absolutely airborne. A great horse race.”
