Antino backed up Tony Gollan’s faith in his stable star’s ability to be a feature-race force beyond a mile with a brilliant win in Saturday’s Hollindale Stakes on the Gold Coast.
Last year’s runaway winner of the Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) issued a 3-1/2-length spanking to a quality field of rivals in the Group 2 event.
It was just the second start beyond 1600m for Antino, whose first resulted in a five-length 10th placing in the 1800m Five Diamonds in November 2023, but Gollan has always felt he could make a middle-distance galloper.
“I have never really trained him to get a trip until this prep,” Gollan said.
“I always had him pinned as a miler, but we’ve put in all the groundwork with him from the minute he got back from Hong Kong.
“We might dare to go to the Q22 with him after the Doomben Cup. I felt like it would be remiss of me not to test him over a trip and allow him to be a stayer, because his pedigree suggests this sort of trip should really suit him.”
Antino is now $4 second favourite for his first 2000m test, the $1 million Doomben Cup on May 24, $3.50 betting site favourite for which is Pride Of Jenni.
The six-year-old, who started $9 on Saturday, has now won 12 of his 25 starts and Saturday’s $300,000 winner’s cheque swelled his career earnings beyond $2.5m.
Second over the line in the Hollindale Stakes was Fawkner Park ($19), who finished half-a-length clear of third-placed Kovalica.
Buckaroo, the $3.80 favourite and pre-post Doomben Cup favourite, was beaten almost 18 lengths in 10th position.
The Hollindale Stakes was Blake Shinn’s first time back aboard Antino since his failed attempt at the Hong Kong Mile in December and he was thrilled with the way the gelding adapted to his aggressive plan on the Heavy track.
“We had to come up with a plan to try to win the race, I trust this horse and I have a lot of confidence in Tony as a trainer,” Shinn said.
“He told me it’s the fittest the horse has ever been, he told me to ride the horse as he likes to be ridden and keep him comfortable and balanced, and fortunately it paid off.”
The Hollindale Stakes was the second-last run at the Gold Coast with the meeting called off prematurely with the final event, the Bat Out Of Hell, abandoned due to the poor weather and deteriorating track conditions.
