Tony Gollan’s talented galloper Antino (NZ) (Redwood) proved he was in the mix with some of Australia’s elite weight-for-age performers when a game third in the Gr.1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington last Saturday behind Mr Brightside and Pride Of Jenni.
The son of Redwood had been slowly away when resuming in the Gr.1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) a fortnight earlier but under jockey Blake Shinn was quick to leave the machines on Saturday that enabled the gelding to take a prominent position.
“He’s come through it really well,” Gollan told RSN. “We took him to the beach on Sunday for a bit of recovery, and he’s had a couple of days on the treadmill and he seems to be nice and bright and well.
“He stepped away really well, if anything, too well. He had to drag the field up to Pride of Jenni, so that’s never an easy task, but he certainly put himself in a position to run well, and he certainly did run well.”
Gollan will keep the lightly tried six-year-old to 1600m in a campaign aimed at going one better in the Gr.1 Toorak Handicap (1600m), a race in which he was beaten a nose by Attrition last year.
“We’re probably going to keep him at a mile. He was pretty out in his feet late on the weekend, and whether that was because he was chasing Pride Of Jenni or because of the heavy nine conditions, they are two things he’s never had to do in the past. So I’d be reluctant to go any further than a mile at this point in time,” Gollan said.
“At this stage, we’ll more than likely head towards the Feehan (Gr.2, 1600m) at The Valley and then have another crack at the Toorak like last year.”
Unfortunately for connections of Antino, it is likely that Mr Brightside will also contest the Feehan on September 27.
“I’d certainly rather he went off to Sydney or something like that, but I can understand their preparation, definitely. So obviously we’ll clash again, and who knows what’ll happen.” Gollan said.
The winner of ten of his 19 starts, with a further four placings, Antino has banked in excess of A$1 million for connections a fine return on the $27,000 outlaid by New Balance Racing at the 2020 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale.
