John Messara knew the budget had been blown when he bought the highest-priced lot of last year’s Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.
The Arrowfield Stud boss went to $1.8 million for the daughter of Arrowfield stallion The Autumn Sun and Via Africa, who we now know as Autumn Glow.
It is the most Messara has paid for a yearling.
The undefeated three-year-old will on Saturday be out to become the third Inglis Easter sale-topper to win at Group 1 level this century when she chases a fourth-straight win in the $750,000 Flight Stakes at Randwick.
Viking Ruler, who cost $1.5 million at Easter 2000, became the first when he won the Spring Champion Stakes, while 2011 top lot All Too Hard ($1,025,000) ended his career a four-time Group 1 winner.
The only more expensive Easter yearling than Autumn Glow to win a Group 1 race is Master Of Design, the $2.1m colt who was the third highest-priced lot of 2007.
Estijaab, the 2018 Golden Slipper winner, who cost $1.7m at Easter, is the most expensive filly to win a Group 1.
Autumn Glow will therefore be in rare air if she wins on Saturday, but all she is doing is justifying what Messara thought of her at the sale.
“When I bought her at that price, my son (Paul) and the rest of the team looked at me as if I’d lost my head,” Messara recalled.
“But I was completely mesmerized by her at the sales. I saw her and I just couldn’t get over it.
“I went beyond what I thought I should go to, but when there’s one like her you try and get her if you can.”
Autumn Glow will become the second product of Via Africa, a daughter of Var who won three times at the highest level in South Africa, to win a Group 1 if she justifies her odds-on quote in Saturday’s 1600m event.
Via Africa’s second foal was In The Congo, a son of Snitzel who won the 2021 Golden Rose (1400m).
His deeds were a key reason behind Silverdale Farm paying $600,000 for Autumn Glow out of the Newhaven draft at the 2022 National Weanling Sale before realising a dream pinhook result at Easter.
Autumn Glow gave an immediate indication she might justify the faith of Messara and his co-owner Hermitage Thoroughbreds with a debut win over 1300m at Rosehill on August before logging back-to-back Group wins.
She upstaged the boys in the Group 3 Up & Coming Stakes (1300m) on August 31 before claiming the Group 2 Tea Rose Stakes (1400m) on September 21.
Messara has been relieved to see her do what she’s done to date and is excited about campaigns to come no matter this Saturday’s result.
“I’m hoping she has a good run on Saturday, we’ll see what we can so at the mile and then we’ll give her a bit of a break,” he said.
“She’s still got to furnish out. She’s big, but she’s not all together level – she’s still got a bit of furnishing to do – so we’ll give her a chance to do that in the spring.”
