Trainer Tony Gollan has won his third Listed Goldmarket with Raido, a horse he was close to sacking three months ago.
Raido ($31) stormed home to give apprentice Matt McGillivray his second long-shot feature winner of the day and beat Malvern Estate ($5) by head with a short neck to Aqua Vite ($31) in third.
Gollan said he only entered Raido for the race because of the gelding’s liking for the Gold Coast track.
“I was thinking of sacking him after he got beaten at Ipswich back in December but then we brought him to the Gold Coast and he won,” Gollan said.
‘”At his only other run on this track he was second and should have won. I have won Goldmarket’s with Spirit of Boom and Gundy Son and to say I am shocked Raido has joined them is an understatement.”
“He is still a Class 6 horse and he had a terrible barrier so you really wouldn’t have given him much chance. But we decided to go back and let him run home and things worked out.”
Gollan said he had no big plans for Raido other than to chase another race around the 1200m to 1300m mark.
“These old horses can find form and he has also responded to us fiddling around with his gear.”
McGillivray, who earlier won on Boomsara in the 2YO Jewel, said Raido had really lifted in the final 100m.
“It was a very good win and he loves it when there is a good pace,” McGillivray said.
Jim Byrne who rode Malvern Estate said he had a good run and had been just out bobbed on the line.
