Tony Gollan looking forward to showing the world what Antino is made of in Hong Kong Mile

Tony Gollan wil realise a long-time dream when Antino performs on the world stage at the Hong Kong international meeting, and the experience has been eye opening.

Brisbane trainer Tony Gollan with his Group 1 Hong Kong Mile Hope Antino at the Sha Tin quarantine stables.

When Tony Gollan was strapping horses for his father as a teenager in Toowoomba, the thought of racing on the world stage couldn’t have been further from his mind.

It takes a lot to surprise the champion trainer, but even he says he has been taken aback by the size and scale of Hong Kong’s international meeting, where he will look to become the first Australian to win there in more than 20 years when he saddles up Antino in the lucrative Group 1 Hong Kong Mile on Sunday.

A bullish Gollan admits he has long thought about the prospect of being a trainer in the super rich jurisdiction, which is run on an invite-only philosophy and says he would never say never to the idea, should it arise.

While Gollan’s name is well known in Australia, he has never had a horse perform on the world stage and Sunday shapes as a bucket list moment for the trainer, who lands winners for fun in his home state of Queensland.

Tony Gollan has had his eyes opened in Hong Kong this week. Picture: Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images

“I have thought about racing horses in Hong Kong for a long time and for a large majority of my life it has been unattainable,” the Eagle Farm trainer said.

“To be here now and doing it is a real pinch yourself type of moment.

“When we first drew it up, I didn’t really give it much thought in terms of how big it was.

“The build up to this weekend has been quite remarkable to be honest, it is so impressive and being down at the quarantine centre with all the other international horses is special.

“I am looking forward to showing him off to the world, we know what he can do in Australia, he is up to our best weight-for-age horses there.

“I think as Australians, we always think our best horses are world class, so that’s what we want to show the world on Sunday.”

Speculation around a move to Hong Kong has always followed Gollan due to his profile and prolific winning rate in Australia, however the Hong Kong Jockey Club already has a training roster full of Australians in the shape of John Size, David Hayes, David Hall and Mark Newnham.

“I have definitely thought about it because it is such an impressive part of the world when it comes to horse racing,” he said.

“For someone who hasn’t experienced it too much before, it is such a big eye opener being up here and seeing the way they go about their racing.

“I’d never say never to anything and it is a very, very impressive racing jurisdiction.”

Tony Gollan’s top work rider Baylee Nothdurft has travelled to Hong Kong with Antino. Picture: Terry Hann/Atkins Photography

A regular at carnivals in Sydney and Melbourne, he is not shy to spread his wings and says campaigning Antino in Hong Kong is simply an extension of that.

With a number of horses on the up in his stable, Gollan is always looking for his next stable star and Group 1 winner and says Antino’s mission this week has been an eye opener in terms of how easy it has been to travel him from Australia.

“I’d like to think I have spread my wings pretty well before, we like to pride ourselves on being a national stable back home that can send horses to all carnivals,” Gollan said.

“We saw this spring we had horses that were very competitive in Sydney and Melbourne, now we are having a crack at the world stage.

“Having a look at it this year, I would love to be back here again and be part of it, maybe at different times of the year as well.

“I have found out how smooth it is to get a horse up here, world racing is very open to us all if we want to be a part of it and this week has opened my eyes up to that.”

In a year where Queensland-trained horse Knight’s Choice shocked the world and won the Melbourne Cup, Antino winning the AU$7m Hong Kong Mile at Sha Tin on Sunday would be equally impressive.

Antino looks right at home on the Sha Tin turf! 🇦🇺@tonygollan | @Racing | @LONGINESpic.twitter.com/oDNZoxTEJS

— HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) December 4, 2024

Queensland horses are often seen as second rate compared to those trained out of Sydney and Melbourne, which Gollan has long tried to change and says Sunday is the perfect opportunity to change that.

“The support from home with this horse has been phenomenal, all of Queensland has taken Antino on as their horse and we are feeling their support cheering this horse on, we have been overwhelmed so we just want to do them proud on Sunday,” he said.

“A lot of this week has been about ticking the boxes, crossing the Ts and dotting the Is, but it’s not lost on me what we are doing here.

“It is a privilege to be here and we are grateful to be invited up here, now we have to do the job on Sunday.”

Antino was tightened into a joint $5 favourite with fixed-odds bookmakers after drawing perfectly at he barrier draw on Thursday, where Blake Shinn will reunite with the horse after they won the Group 1 Toorak Handicap together in the spring.

Originally published as Tony Gollan looking forward to showing the world what Antino is made of in Hong Kong Mile