It was an infinite finish to Caulfield Guineas Day in Melbourne on Saturday with the Toorak Handicap 2024 win going to the Tony Gollan-trained Antino who produced a stellar run to come back proper spherical his rivals and salute by six and a half-lengths.
It was a deserving elite degree success for the Queensland who had been knocking on the door for a Group 1 win.
His time within the highlight got here within the final at Caulfield with the six-year-old son of Redwood bettering on his second to Attrition final yr to steal the present because of a daring trip by Blake Shinn on this yr’s Group 1 $1 million Toorak Handicap (1600m).
“He was sensible, he was superior, he’ s a very good horse, he’s been destined to win a Group 1 and it’s simply been a matter of when and to win it like that, we got here right here, it was so shut final yr, I believed he was only a run quick,” Gollan stated.
“This yr I knew I had him, nearly as good as we’ve ever had him. It was only a matter of luck on the day, and he took that into his personal palms and obtained the job executed.
“It means rather a lot. Very a lot blended feelings. We had been again final early. Thought we had been in lots of hassle however what a masterful trip by Blake.
“The very first thing we stated after Moonee Valley the opposite evening once we had been racing towards Satisfaction of Jenni (within the Feehan)
“He can maintain and construct strain in a race. Regardless of the place we landed right now, we simply needed to journey after which have the ability to use that lengthy sustained run and that’s what he did.
“We took off a bit early on him, however he can maintain a great gallop for a great whereas, what a dominant show!”
The galloper got here off a trio of fine lead-up runs towards the season’s finest together with a Group 1 Makybe Diva third to Mr Brightside and third to Satisfaction Of Jenni at The Valley final trip within the Group 2 Feehan Stakes.
He offered rock-hard match fourth-up and able to hearth within the Toorak, which he was capable of do because of the brave transfer by Shinn on the 500m that noticed the ring hit the whip and loop the sector to come back from final to take up entrance working approaching the house flip.
It proved a successful transfer with Antino responding superbly extending his lead down the straight powering dwelling to salute by 6.5 lengths on the road over the runner-up Craig.
“Simply actually delighted to get the win on Antino right now,” Shinn instructed Racing.com.
“He’s been knocking on the door to get that Group 1 and we had been hoping that will come right now.
“I rode him conservatively and introduced him into the race after I thought the race was slackening a bit.
“God he was sturdy to the road!”
In third finishing this yr’s Toorak Handicap trifecta was the Grant & Alana Williams-trained Star Flip mare from WA Alsephina who continued her good spring in Melbourne off a lead-up Group 2 Shares Stakes victory at Moonee Valley.
Gollan will now think about as as to whether Antino will stick with his authentic next-up goal of the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) after which Hong Kong or be examined over additional this prep.
“Yeah, look this would possibly change issues now. I used to be possibly going to go to the Rupert Clarke, after which to Hong Kong, however I’ll simply play it by ear,” he stated.
“We’ll get dwelling and let the mud settle subsequent week, and you already know the horse is within the peak of his powers now.
“It’s only a matter of holding him in that situation.”
2024 Toorak Handicap Outcomes
End | No. | Horse | Coach | Jockey | Margin | Bar. | Weight | Penalty | Beginning Value | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 3 | ANTINO (NZ) | Tony Gollan | Blake Shinn | 8 | 55.5kg | $4.80 | |||
2 | 9 | CRAIG (GB) | Trent Busuttin & Natalie Younger | Craig Williams | 6.5L | 12 | 53.5kg | $10 | ||
3 | 7 | ALSEPHINA | Grant & Alana Williams | Jye McNeil | 6.85L | 10 | 53.5kg | $19 | ||
4 | 1 | DESERT LIGHTNING (NZ) | Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman | Luke Nolen | 8.6L | 11 | 57kg | $8.50 | ||
5 | 12 | OSIPENKO (NZ) | Chris Waller | Damian Lane | 9L | 3 | 53.5kg | $9.50 | ||
6 | 6 | ORCHESTRAL (NZ) | Roger James & Robert Wellwood | Daniel Stackhouse | 9.75L | 6 | 54kg | $17 | ||
7 | 4 | ANOTHER WIL | Ciaron Maher | Michael Dee | 9.9L | 1 | 55kg | $2.20F | ||
8 | 10 | JIMMY THE BEAR | Patrick & Michelle Payne | Billy Egan | 10.65L | 7 | 53.5kg | $51 | ||
9 | 5 | LIGHT INFANTRY MAN (FR) | Ciaron Maher | John Allen | 10.75L | 5 | 54.5kg | $71 | ||
10 | 13 | WISHLOR LASS | Symon Wilde | Declan Bates | 11.5L | 9 | 53.5kg | $26 | ||
11 | 11 | MAGNASPIN | Leon & Troy Corstens & Will Larkin | Daniel Moor | 11.56L | 2 | 53.5kg | $101 | ||
12 | 8 | BANK MAUR | Richard Laming | Patrick Moloney | 13.81L | 4 | 53.5kg | $61 | ||
Desk Credit score: Racing Australia.
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