GR 3 CARBINE CLUB WAS QUITE A CONSOLATION FOR AUTUMN BREAK CONNECTIONS
Autumn Break (orange cap) grabs Kilman (centre) and Matias (inside) to win the Carbine Club - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Kym Davison was driving south on the M31 near the Campbelltown exit when he took my phone call on Sunday morning. The jubilant trainer was towing his trusty two horse trailer back to Albury with a very special passenger on board - the four legged friend who’d taken him to the stratosphere at Royal Randwick about eighteen hours earlier. Not only had Autumn Break provided the trainer’s first ever metropolitan win, but he’d managed to get the job done in the Gr 3 Carbine Club Stakes on Derby Day. For a small bush stable it doesn’t get much better than that. For Kym there was just one bittersweet element. He’s currently mourning the loss of older brother Stephen who died just a few weeks ago after a lengthy illness.
You don't get to win a Gr. 3 race at Royal Randwick every day of the week! The Autumn Break ownership group celebrated well into the night at the Royal Hotel.
Kym was able to raise a glass to his late brother at the mandatory celebration party which evolved in the following way. All but six of fifteen owners had been in Sydney since Good Friday and all had booked accommodation at the popular Royal Hotel at Randwick. Not surprisingly they took over the bottom bar on returning after the races and one heck of a “wingding” ensued. The party continued well into the night, and as the hours passed the merit in Autumn Break’s win multiplied several times over. Despite feeling well below his best and oblivious to the confusion caused by the daylight savings changeover, Kym had collected the horse responsible for all the fuss and was on his way home not long after 8.00 am.
Had Autumn Break enjoyed better luck in the Country Championship Qualifier at Wagga on February 28th and the Goulburn Wild Card on March 22nd, he may have been in the $1 million Final on Saturday. He needed to finish first or second at Wagga but had to be content with third after a horror run from a wide gate, while at Goulburn he needed to win but missed a place after a chequered passage between horses. As it turned out he was declared first emergency in the rich Final requiring Kym to have him in Sydney just in case a late scratching came to light.
Rather than risk a total wipeout, the trainer elected to nominate for the Carbine Club Stakes as a contingency plan. His decision would produce a dream result. Kym thought he’d best book a rider for the Carbine Club just in case of a start and that led him to jockey agent Mark Van Triet. “Mark manages Tim Clark who’d ridden the horse to a luckless third in a TAB Highway in early February and it made good sense to use him again,” said Kym. “Tim had already been booked for the Maher trained Agent Zero but Mark quickly recommended another of his clients Sam Clipperton who’s been in good form on the comeback trail. I was well aware of Sam’s credentials and more than happy to put him on.”
Sam Clipperton canters Autumn Break to the barrier before Saturday's Gr. 3 Carbine Club Stakes - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Kym advised the jockey of Autumn Break’s aversion to racing in restricted space, and his preference for being allowed to find his feet. Clipperton carried out both requests with precision. He had the gelding away smartly without “flying the gate” and quickly into a perfect possie one off the fence. The decision he made on the first turn may have won the race for Autumn Break. At the 1000m Kilman led from favourite Providence with Agent Zero parked outside them. Clipperton made the call to ease three wide and get onto Agent Zero’s back. Aerodrome, West Of Swindon and Matias were all fairly prominent. Relishing the clear running Autumn Break came out four wide on the corner still a length from the leaders but travelling generously and in a lovely rhythm.
Agent Zero dropped off quickly at the 200m leaving Kilman in front of his fancied stablemate Providence with Matias looking a threat closer to the rail. Autumn Break suddenly hit top gear and lengthened stride stylishly to set out after Kilman and Matias as Providence called it a day. The trio provided a spine tingling finish as they hit the line together with opinions divided. As number 7 flashed onto the semaphore the Autumn Break owner group reacted with quiet dignity - thrilled to bits but not over the top. It’s a safe bet they were a little more animated at the Royal Hotel a few hours later.
A vigorous Sam Clipperton gets Autumn Break home in the last stride over Kilman and Matias - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Kym Davison arrived at the 2024 Inglis Classic Sale with a firm resolve to chase the colt by The Autumn Sun from the Dubawi mare Isdaal. “I’d followed The Autumn Sun’s racing career fairly closely and always felt he’d make the grade as a stallion especially with the mares you knew he was going to get at Arrowfield,” said the trainer. “I also knew that his dam Istaad was a half sister to the dam of Canny Hell, who’s been one of the best horses I’ve ever trained. By coincidence Canny Hell won the Country Championship Qualifier at Wagga last year before finishing unplaced in the Final won by Know Thyself. All up he’s won five races with five placings for $250,000. My bank was $50,000 at the Classic Sale and I was pretty chuffed to get him for $40,000. The Autumn Sun’s first crop had been a little slow to get going and you could buy one at a sane price. You wouldn’t get one for $40,000 now thanks to Autumn Glow and several other topliners.”
Katrin Tschirner was one happy strapper after Autumn Break's win - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Canny Hell came into the equation again on August 19th, 2025, when he and Autumn Break contested the same open trial over 900m at Albury. It was Autumn Break’s first time at the trials, while Canny Hell was already the veteran of five wins including an Albury Guineas and a Country Championship Qualifier. “Victorian based apprentice Brittany Button rode Autumn Break in the trial and you could have knocked me over with a feather when the horse got through on the inside of Canny Hell at the 200m and beat him about a neck with something in reserve,” recalled Kym. “There were two or three other handy ones in the trial too. We knew straight away we had a pretty nice horse on our hands.”
Young Brittany Button, who’s apprenticed to Gerald Egan at Mansfield was destined to have a quick but exciting association with the promising horse. Together they reeled off a hat trick of wins - a Super Maiden at Wagga followed by Cl 1 and Cl 2 races at Albury. Brittany knew she’d be replaced by senior jockeys as the horse moved into higher class, but she’s been very gracious about it and follows his progress very closely. “Brit has been fantastic,” said Kym. “The first text I received on Saturday was from her and I’ve had a couple more since to check on his recovery. It’s very likely we’ll have to go to Victoria to find suitable races for the horse next preparation, and if that’s the case, she’ll get to ride him again.”
Days like this generate indelible memories for all concerned. Kym displays the trophy flanked by ATC Vice Chair Caroline Searcy and an army of elated owners after the Carbine Club Stakes - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
The Kym Davison story is an interesting one. He grew up in Adelaide a stone’s throw from Morphettville racecourse which had nothing to do with his later obsession for horse racing. Early days his sporting interest revolved entirely around his beloved game of Australian Rules. He showed promise from an early age and it came as no surprise when he was selected at League level for the Glenelg side in the late 70’s and early 80’s. He later accepted an offer to join the West Perth Club which didn’t turn out quite as well as he’d hoped. He enjoyed an eighteen month stint in the west but was happy to return to Adelaide when a spot came up with his old Glenelg club. Not long after returning to his home turf Kym sustained a serious leg injury which would abruptly terminate his football aspirations.
His entry into the thoroughbred world began in the late 1980’s when he was invited to work as a stablehand for Albury trainer Allan Curtis who’d been a family friend in earlier years. Curtis was best known at the time as the trainer of the very talented Dazzling Duke who won 14 races from 1000m to 1600m complemented by a whopping 19 placings. Dazzling Duke won a Crystal Mile at Moonee Valley, a Memsie Stakes and a J.J. Feehan Stakes. Kym enjoyed every minute of his eighteen months with Curtis and was disappointed when the veteran trainer made the call to scale right back in preparation for his retirement. He was lucky to pick up a foreman’s job almost immediately with Albury trainer Bob Merrill destined to last two years.
Kym and Katrin didn't let the Carbine Club trophy out of their sight at the celebration party.
By this time Kym was totally besotted with the thoroughbreds and agonised over the decision he had to make when offered a role in Melbourne as store manager for one of the Red Rooster franchises. Founded in 1972 the Red Rooster brand is now a national force with more than 360 stores in operation. Kym could see the rapid emergence of the roast chicken giant and elected to grab the opportunity. Racehorses were put on the backburner for a lengthy period while he focused on learning the finer points of the food retail business. It’s no exaggeration to say he jumped for joy when an offer came to manage a new Red Rooster store in Albury. Perhaps this relocation would give him the opportunity to rekindle his love affair with horses. It took him every bit of two seconds to accept the offer.
Kym Davison’s full time professional career as a racehorse trainer began in the year 2000. The magical experience of his first win is attributable to a gelding called Ucello Mio, a cast off from the David Hall stable who won a 1000m Cl 3 at Albury for his new trainer with Brian Johns in the saddle. Kym would win another two races in the Riverina with the son of Bluebird, ridden by Nick Souquet and Brendan Ward respectively. The respected Racing And Sports database currently credits Kym with 177 wins, a tidy tally in view of the small numbers he’s trained over the years. Right at the moment he has only eight horses in work with just three actually racing. Better make that two! Autumn Break is heading straight to the paddock with an impressive record of seven starts for four wins, two placings and a prize money tally of $238,000. Kym Davison is fully justified in giving himself a hearty pat on the back.
Kym and most of the ownership group listen intently to Sam Clipperton's post race comments - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
