Tony Gollan recalls the day he realised Gollan would be a future star

Antino hasn’t raced at Doomben since 2022 but Tony Gollan says it was that day in a lowly benchmark race that he realised he had a potential Group 1 star on his hands.

Antino is the reigning Queensland Horse Of The Year, has won a prized Victorian Group 1 and raced in the big show in Hong Kong.

But incredibly, his Group 1 Doomben Cup mission on Saturday will be the first time he has raced at Doomben since 2022.

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That was the day that Tony Gollan realised he could have a future Group 1 star on his hands.

It was New Year’s Eve, 2022, and Antino lined up as the $1.40 favourite in a modest Benchmark 72 Handicap over 1615m with Jimmy Orman in the saddle.

It was the manner of the win – being slow away and then being widest in the straight and surging around them to score from nowhere – that made Gollan take notice.

“It was his last run at Doomben where I really thought he was a topliner,” Gollan said.

“It was bizarre because it was only a low grade Benchmark race.

“The rail was out a bit that day and it was a tough day to come from right back and circle them but that’s what he did.

“I remember that race like it was yesterday.

A big win from Antino who gets up in the last stride for @tonygollan! pic.twitter.com/xdyCer5Tqd

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) December 31, 2022

“After that race I remember thinking this could be my next Group 1 horse

“It was a nothing race and he was better than the opposition, but the task he did was amazing.

“Jimmy took off on him a fair way out, similar to how you see him getting ridden now.

“He had to cover a huge amount of ground which can be particularly hard at Doomben

“He was able to sustain this big long run to get the job done and he had a good bit of weight on his back as well.”

• Pride Of Jenni, Antino face off before Doomben Cup clash

Antino might not have raced at Doomben in an eternity, but he is two from two at the track which shouldn’t pose any huge problems for him, especially if Pride Of Jenni is playing catch-me-if-you-can up front.

Gollan has planned the Doomben Cup mission for some time, keen to turn Antino from a sprinter-miler into a middle distance-staying type of horse.

The Doomben Cup has appeared on Pride Of Jenni’s radar in more recent times.

Pride Of Jenni and Antino come face-to-face before the Doomben Cup. Picture: Michael McInally

• Gollan sprinter's ‘time to shine' for Stradbroke ticket

However, Gollan knows his great mate Ciaron Maher is a master trainer and Pride Of Jenni will be a tough nut to crack.

“A Group 1 horse is a Group 1 horse and it wouldn’t matter what sort of preparation she has, Ciaron wouldn’t have put her on a plane and sent her up here if she wasn’t up to the mark,” Gollan said.

“I am fully respectful of Pride Of Jenni coming here.”

Jockey Blake Shinn has produced some daring rides on Antino, most recently in the Hollindale Stakes when he won after taking off and swooping around the entire field.

Shinn knows better than anyone the huge motor Antino has and how he can sustain a sustain a gallop for longer than other horses.

Gollan is unlikely to tie the magician Shinn to many specific instructions on Saturday.

“If Blake doesn’t know how to ride him now, depending on how the race unfolds, he never will,” Gollan said.

“He has ridden him enough times and he knows what the horse can and can’t do.

“Blake can do whatever he wants to do to get the job done.

“We are not warming up for anything else later in the carnival, this is the race we have set Antino for.”

Queensland’s chief steward Josh Adams on Friday morning advised that all Doomben Cup runners had been passed fit by vets to take their place in the $1.5m Group 1.

If either Antino or Pride Of Jenni gets the chocolates, adult patrons on course will get a free beer in a Brisbane Racing Club promotion.

Originally published as Tony Gollan recalls the day he realised Gollan would be a future star