The Chris Waller-trained mare Autumn Glow has been installed as the short-priced favourite for the Group 1 $1.5 million Epsom Handicap, following the release of 96 early nominations for the Randwick feature on October 4.

Autumn Glow

Autumn Glow is clear post-nomination favourite for the 2025 Epsom Handicap. Photo: Steve Hart.

The four-year-old’s perfect five-from-five career record, including an impressive first-up win in the Group 3 Toy Show Quality, has her positioned to be the first mare to win the race since Probabeel in 2020.

Master horseman Waller, a five-time winner of the Epsom, has a powerful hand with 25 nominations in total.

Autumn Glow, a daughter of The Autumn Sun, leads his contingent as the $2.40 all-in favourite in the latest Epsom Handicap betting markets at Ladbrokes.

She is set to have her next start this weekend, with nominations for both the Group 2 Theo Marks and Sheraco Stakes.

Other notable Waller entries include the Australian Derby-winning filly Aeliana, the in-form Angel Capital, last-start winner Lazzura, and surprise Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes hero Lindermann.

The Epsom Handicap is a key form line into the Cox Plate and has been won by champions like Winx and Super Impose.

This year’s field looks to be a worthy addition to that history, with a number of quality contenders.

The next best in post-nomination betting is the John O’Shea & Tom Charlton-trained Linebacker at $11, who won the Group 1 Randwick Guineas at the track and distance last prep.

He is expected to improve after a midfield finish in the Group 2 Tramway Stakes.

The winner of the Tramway, Pericles, is also a top contender, having firmed into $15 for the Epsom.

Last year’s Epsom Handicap winner, the Joe Pride-trained Ceolwulf, is nominated to defend his title and is currently at $15 to become the first horse to go back-to-back since Desert War in 2004-05.

He has had two solid runs this time in, with back-to-back fourth-place finishes in the Group 1 Winx Stakes and Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes.

Another top contender is the New Zealand expat Willydoit, who is now with trainer Ciaron Maher. He is third in the betting at $13 and is best known for his dominant Group 1 NZ Derby win.

He resumed with a solid eighth in the Tramway Stakes, and with improvement expected, he could be the first New Zealand-trained winner since Probabeel.

Other significant entries include last year’s runner-up Tom Kitten ($26), the consistent Royal Patronage who rounded out the 2024 trifecta, and the classy mare Zardozi from the Ciaron Maher stable.

2025 Epsom Handicap Nominations 

Last 10 Horse Sex Age Trainer Hcp Rating
1 x90x404x88 ADELAIDE RIVER (IRE) G 6 Kris Lees
2 112x3421x2 AELIANA (NZ) M 4 Chris Waller
3 1175×4 AERODROME G 3 Michael Freedman 80
4 0x6617x50x AIRMAN G 6 Michael, John & Wayne Hawkes 110
5 383x6035x0 AL MUBHIR (GB) G 7 Annabel & Rob Archibald 103
6 59x116x1x1 ANGEL CAPITAL H 4 Chris Waller
7 x1x139x0x6 ANISETTE (GB) M 6 Chris Waller 111
8 21x46430x9 ANOTHER PROPHET M 4 Ciaron Maher
9 1712x146x6 ANOTHER WIL G 6 Ciaron Maher
10 2×1 APOCALYPTIC F 3 Michael Freedman
11 1x55241x36 ARAPAHO (FR) G 9 Bjorn Baker
12 111x1x1 AUTUMN GLOW M 4 Chris Waller 105
13 30930x97x8 BERKSHIRE SHADOW (GB) G 7 Ciaron Maher 94
14 x5331450x6 BERNEN WIN G 4 Edward Cummings 67
15 42612x165x BOSUSTOW H 4 Annabel & Rob Archibald
16 3740×51951 CAFE MILLENIUM G 5 Ben, Will & JD Hayes
17 1x45315x44 CEOLWULF (NZ) G 5 Joseph Pride
18 13234425×7 CHORLTON LANE (IRE) G 6 Ciaron Maher
19 656214800x COASTWATCH G 7 Richard & Will Freedman 100
20 276x0030x0 COLEMAN H 4 Chris Waller 97
21 0x009242x0 CONVERGE G 7 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 98
22 408300x05x DEMOCRACY MANIFEST G 7 Chris Waller 103
23 x5253112x0 DEPTH OF CHARACTER G 4 Annabel & Rob Archibald 95
24 14x8024x21 DESERT LIGHTNING (NZ) G 6 Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman
25 007×009269 DIAMOND DIESEL G 9 Adam Duggan 89
26 15x15340x4 DUCASSE G 5 Michael Freedman
27 328x11115x EL CASTELLO H 4 Joseph Pride 100
28 21x1112x1x ELAMAZ (IRE) G 6 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 104
29 5142610×80 ELETTRICA (NZ) M 7 Richard & Will Freedman 91
30 11x55x56x7 EMIRATE H 4 Chris Waller 80
31 4053x7437x ENCAP G 5 Gary Portelli 102
32 1630x3121x ENRICHED H 4 Michael Freedman
33 1x251x680x ESPIONAGE H 4 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 90
34 139x3421x5 EVAPORATE (NZ) G 4 Ben, Will & JD Hayes
35 630x06710x FEMMINILE M 4 Chris Waller 100
36 7423x316x6 FEROCE (NZ) G 4 Dominic Sutton
37 56x120x37x FIRESTORM (NZ) M 5 Chris Waller
38 3x7722200x FIRM AGREEMENT G 4 Annabel & Rob Archibald
39 20×4505512 FULLY LIT G 4 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 86
40 15x GIRIJAALA M 4 Michael, John & Wayne Hawkes 64
41 64807×3611 GLAD YOU THINK SO G 5 John Sargent 80
42 8x320320x9 GREBENI G 6 Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou 96
43 2110x310x5 GRINGOTTS (NZ) G 6 Ciaron Maher 115
44 1122x1161x HEADLEY GRANGE G 5 Joseph Pride 103
45 x73320915x IMPERIALIST (NZ) G 4 Chris Waller
46 21x1211x81 JUST FEELIN’ LUCKY M 4 Michael Freedman 95
47 4x1x321x21 JUSTADEEL G 5 Ben, Will & JD Hayes
48 549407x59x KINTYRE G 5 Gary Portelli 92
49 60x70331x0 KOVALICA (NZ) G 6 Chris Waller
50 45x43124x1 LAZZURA M 4 Chris Waller 109
51 12111114x LEICA LUCY (NZ) M 4 Chris Waller 102
52 101x6310x0 LIGHT INFANTRY MAN (FR) G 7 Ciaron Maher 116
53 2332490×01 LINDERMANN G 6 Chris Waller
54 x46x2618x7 LINEBACKER (NZ) G 4 John O’Shea & Tom Charlton
55 50x81122x3 LORD OF BISCAY (IRE) G 6 Kris Lees 88
56 2211191×2 LORD PENMAN (NZ) G 4 Chris Waller 86
57 2116324×31 MAGNATEAR G 6 Richard & Will Freedman
58 x313x955x8 MANAAL M 4 Michael Freedman 99
59 849121217x MARBLE ARCH (NZ) M 6 Ben, Will & JD Hayes 105
60 53403x10x2 MCHALE G 5 Chris Waller 100
61 3x000546x5 MILITARIZE (NZ) G 5 Chris Waller
62 x2121x0x42 MOIRA (CAN) M 7 Chris Waller
63 047x2709x0 MOLLY BLOOM (NZ) M 5 Chris Waller 96
64 13x491534x MOVIN OUT (NZ) M 4 Chris Waller
65 311x NEPOTISM C 3 Michael, John & Wayne Hawkes 98
66 121x19211x OH DIAMOND LIL M 5 David Pfieffer 92
67 721x9275x4 OSIPENKO (NZ) G 6 Chris Waller
68 x865839x53 OUR GOLD HOPE M 5 Robert & Luke Price 96
69 2111125×60 PERFUMIST (NZ) M 4 Bjorn Baker 87
70 3491x845x1 PERICLES G 6 Bjorn Baker
71 876x1x231x PIER (NZ) G 6 Darryn & Briar Weatherley 105
72 56x25463x0 PLYMOUTH G 4 Ben, Will & JD Hayes
73 21293118×5 POCKETING G 4 Richard & Will Freedman
74 6610x897x0 PORT LOCKROY H 5 Annabel & Rob Archibald
75 65814x3x12 PRIVATE EYE G 8 Joseph Pride
76 8131x7690x REAL CLASS (NZ) M 4 Chris Waller 84
77 11x164x50x RISE AT DAWN (NZ) G 5 Ben, Will & JD Hayes
78 3337x1420x ROYAL PATRONAGE (FR) H 7 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
79 0x0x30069x SCARLET OAK M 5 Chris Waller 90
80 41114×1 SEPALS G 4 Cliff Brown
81 111x34147x SHANGRI LA SPRING H 4 Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott
82 2954x8612x STEFI MAGNETICA M 5 Bjorn Baker 117
83 42242220x SWELTERING M 4 Chris Waller 73
84 26x23324x6 SWIFTFALCON G 4 Michael, John & Wayne Hawkes
85 4331x2512x TAVI TIME (NZ) G 6 Kris Lees
86 243x21573x TOM KITTEN G 5 Anthony & Sam Freedman 116
87 111x1111x1 TREASURETHE MOMENT M 4 Matt Laurie
88 8087x02x8x UNSPOKEN (IRE) G 7 Peter Snowden
89 1x11468x0 VERONA ROSE M 4 Gary Portelli 80
90 9489x504x0 VON HAUKE (NZ) G 6 Cliff Brown
91 04081x64x0 WATERFORD (IRE) G 7 Chris Waller
92 310x2000x1 WELL TIMED G 5 Kerry Parker 81
93 3111014×8 WILLYDOIT (NZ) G 4 Ciaron Maher
94 143x5x02x4 YELLOW BRICK G 6 Tony & Maddysen Sears 109
95 54x83230x5 ZARDOZI M 5 Ciaron Maher
96 6564210×89 ZONDEE G 5 Michael, John & Wayne Hawkes

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

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About The Author

Lucy Henderson

Lucy is an experienced horse racing journalist that has been a crucial member of the horseracing.com.au team for the better part of a decade. She has taken great delight in covering champion mares Black Caviar and Winx throughout their careers and always has a soft spot for a winning filly.