Tony Gollan to resist Cox Plate following Antino’s Toorak demolition with Hong Kong still major goal
Tony Gollan has labelled Antino the best horse he has ever trained and admits he has never been more nervous on a racetrack than what he was on Saturday as his stable star broke his Group 1 drought in dramatic style.
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Tony Gollan will resist the temptation of an ambitious Cox Plate tilt with Antino and stick to the Hong Kong plan with his stable star following his Toorak Handicap demolition on Saturday.
The champion trainer admits he has rarely been more nervous on a racecourse than what he was prior to Saturday and says it is a weight off his shoulders following his first Group 1 victory in three years.
Gollan had planned to go to the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) on November 16 with Antino, however will likely now tackle the Group 1 Champions Mile (1600m) on November 9 before making the trip to Hong Kong.
“We didn’t accept for the Cox Plate during the week and we have always been really keen to get him to Hong Kong, he will get his vaccinations and all those things,” Gollan said.
“That was probably right at his peak on Saturday, to ask him to do that again in two weeks is going to be a big ask.
“If we went to a Cox Plate it basically rules out Hong Kong, so the plan is to keep on rolling.
“So going a month between runs, I think he will be at his top again.”
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Gollan has long been in admiration of Antino and says Saturday’s win finally franks the high opinion he has of the galloper.
“I have told everyone for a few years now that he is the best horse I have trained, but he hadn’t won a Group 1,” Gollan said.
“When he won (Queensland) Horse of the Year it was a bit strange because he wasn’t a Group 1 winner, but I said that night if I didn’t win a Group 1 with him this year, I hadn’t done my job.
“That’s how it felt last year at least, so to win it the way he did on Saturday was unreal, I have never seen anything like it in my career.
“It is a total career highlight, he has deserved a Group 1 but that doesn’t get you one, he has to execute.
“It was a long day, waiting until race 10 and I must admit I hadn’t been that nervous going to the races in a long time because I just felt like he was really spot on.”
Gollan has never had an overseas runner, however that is set to change in December, with Antino set to this week get his first round of vaccinations to make the trip for the Group 1 Hong Kong Mile on December 8, worth $6.8m AUD.
Blake Shinn has been assured of the ride, should he make the trip to Hong Kong.
Originally published as Tony Gollan to resist Cox Plate following Antino’s Toorak demolition with Hong Kong still major goal
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