Jockey Boris Thornton scored his biggest win since moving to Queensland when Scallopini got up in the last stride to win the Listed Hinkler Handicap at Doomben.
Thornton, the brother of top Victorian jockey Damien Thornton and leading Queensland apprentice Stephanie Thornton, has been riding in Brisbane for the past three years.
He has had a steady stream of winners, in particular for Scallopini’s trainer Steve O’Dea.
Thornton turned in a perfect ride to score by a nose on Scallopini ($6.50) over Boomtown Lass ($16) who had looked sure to win the 1110m sprinter.
O’Dea said Scallopini would now press on into the winter with some more feature races to be added to the carnival in the next two months.
“He is a pretty good horse. While he can be slow to jump, he got away today and it was just a matter of Boris getting a run to be in the finish,” O’Dea said.
“We haven’t had much luck of late and things turned around today.”
Scallopini is one of a dozen horses O’Dea trains for Jamie Walter’s Proven Thoroughbreds.
“That has lifted him over $400,000 in prize money and there should be more to come.”
