The Champion Australian 3YO Colt of 2018/2019 and now a promising young sire, The Autumn Sun was making news in Australia on Saturday with his daughter Autumn Angel winning the Group III MRC Ethereal Stakes, while later in the day his two year-old half-sister by Siyouni scored an auspicious debut win at Leopardstown in Ireland.
The Autumn Sun was bred in Australia at Arrowfield Stud and was the result of a joint venture between Arrowfield and Aga Khan Studs, who sent a selection of high class European bred mares to Australia to go to Arrowfield’s champion sires.
One of the mares was Azmiyna (IRE), an unraced half-sister by Galileo to four time Group I winner Azamour, the Champion Older European Horse of 2005, and her first foal to race here was The Autumn Sun.
His success prompted a return to the Northern Hemisphere for Azmiyna via Japan with a cover to Deep Impact on the way home resulting in a three year-old filly called Azmaniya that is unraced.
The next foal for Azmiyna after she returned home is two year-old Siyouni filly Azada, who made a winning debut in the Aga Khan colours at Leopardstown on Saturday.
Trained by Dermot Weld, Azada ploughed through the heavy ground to win the seven furlong maiden by two and a half lengths earning high praise from winning rider Leigh Roche.
“Azada travelled away and I thought if she showed here what she was showing at home that she would take a lot of beating. When I gave her a little kick she came alive. She is going to be a very nice filly next year,” he said.
Azada is the fifth winner from five foals to race from Azmiyna, who has a yearling colt by Dubawi.
Azmiyna has one daughter at stud in Australia and that’s the good Sydney metro winning Snitzel mare Archanna, who was sold by Arrowfield Stud as a yearling for $1.3million and then later bought back as a breeding prospect through Inglis Digital Online for $900,000. Archanna has a yearling colt by Maurice, but no foal this year after missing last spring.
