Purton picks up Autumn Boy mount in Golden Eagle

Zac Purton will return to Sydney with a $10 million target after being booked to ride Autumn Boy in the Group 1 Golden Eagle.

Trainer Chris Waller confirmed the appointment on Tuesday, with the champion jockey to partner the two-time Group 1 winner against a field that will include Sheza Alibi at Randwick on October 31.

Waller had been weighing up whether to run Autumn Boy in the Cox Plate or reserve the four-year-old for the Golden Eagle.

Purton returns to Sydney after his narrow defeat aboard Ka Ying Rising in last Saturday’s $20 million Everest.

The booking became available when Autumn Boy’s regular rider, James McDonald, committed to Melbourne for the Victoria Derby day meeting.