AUTISSIER HAS TO SETTLE FOR SECOND PLACE ON DEBUT

By Graham Potter | Sunday, February 13, 2022

Trainer David Vandyke has had his fair share of debut winners … either in their very first career start or the first run for the stable … and he almost added another name to that list in a Three-Year-Old Fillies Handicap over 1000m at the Sunshine Coast on February 13 … but, in the end, he had to be content with second place with the New Zealand bred, three-year-old, bay filly Autissier who started a warm favourite at $3.70.

The runner Autissier found too good for her on the day was her market rival Boho Beauty ($4.80), but it was nevertheless a very good performance from Autissier who only came up a couple of strides short of victory when closing on the winner at the line.

Autissier, who jumped from the number one barrier, landed in midfield and jockey Ryan Maloney was content to hold that position in the early part.

Maloney continued to hug the rail, saving ground, until the home turn where she cornered some five lengths off the speed. Her progress in the straight, with Maloney now angling out slighter wider for a run after being held up slightly at the top of the straight, was more steady than spectacular, but Autissier gradually built momentum and she was right in contention by the time the field came through the 200m mark.

In fact, inside the final 100m, it became a two-horse race between Boho Beauty and Autissier with Boho Beauty, who had got first run on Autissier, fighting on when it mattered most to do enough to peg back the challenge of Autissire by a diminishing 0.30 length margin.

Underlining the merit of Autissier’s run is that fact that Boho Beauty is no slouch … having finished a close-up second on debut before calling on that race experience to help her land this win in only her second start … plus the fact that both Boho Beauty and Autissier had pulled well clear of the rest of the field.

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