Top Queensland trainer Tony Gollan has paid credit to New Zealand’s breeders, saying “they punch above their weight” ahead of the 2024 NZB Ready to Run Sale at Karaka on Wednesday and Thursday.
Gollan has his own star from that sale, Antino (NZ) (Redwood {GB}), bred by Blossom Trading & Breeding Company and out of Mahamaya (NZ) (Bahhare {USA}).
In recent years, there has been no shortage of Ready to Run Sale graduates who have gone on to salute at Group 1 level in Hong Kong.
And Gollan is confident he can add an eighth Group 1 triumph to his impressive career resume when Antino lines up in the HK$36 million (AU$7.1 million) Hong Kong Mile at Sha Tin on December 8.
The 6-year-old gelding was just a NZ$27,000 purchase for New Balance Racing from Cheltenham Stables at the 2020 NZB Ready to Run Sale.
Antino (NZ) as a 2-year-old | Image courtesy of New Zealand Bloodstock
His incredible triumph in the Toorak H. at Caulfield two starts back on October 12 entered him into the elite winners’ category.
Gollan said the Ready to Run Sales were always full of potential champion horses.
“They (New Zealand breeders) have been punching above their weight for 100 years. They always breed nice horses,” he told The Thoroughbred Report. “It’s beautiful over there to breed these sorts of nice horses, and the longer they can stay there before they come out the better.
“They (New Zealand breeders) have been punching above their weight for 100 years. They always breed nice horses.” - Tony Gollan
“They’re always a great country as far as their breeding goes, particularly when you get horses who can go a mile or further. They punch very strongly. Very fortuitous buy for the client (Mr J Ramchandani) and he’s a lovely animal to train.”
Ready to chase Hong Kong Group 1 glory
Gollan said Antino was ready to follow in the footsteps of geldings Golden Sixty (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}) and Lucky Sweynesse (NZ) (Sweynesse), two recent Ready to Run graduates who have been multiple Group 1 winners in Hong Kong.
“We’re pleased with him. He had five or six days out at Fulmen Park after he ran on Champions’ Day,” he said, with his middle-distance horse finishing runner-up to Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) in the Champions Mile at Flemington on November 9.
“He’s come back into Cranbourne and ticked over nicely (Tuesday) morning. He’ll round his weekend on Saturday and do a bit of work with one of Ciaron (Maher’s) horses, and then we’ll get him on the plane next Monday.
“The signs are good. He put nice weight on in the five or six days he had out there, so he’s filled up nicely.
“He’s in great shape.”
Gollan has been delighted with Antino’s past two efforts, including his staggering 6.5l triumph in the G1 Toorak H., where jockey Blake Shinn commanded him to pull off a lightning move from last place before the turn for home.
From there, Antino bolted home to win in comprehensive fashion.
“They were both really good efforts. Obviously, the Toorak was pretty mind-blowing in the way that he was able to achieve that win,” said Gollan, winner of 10 successive Queensland Metro Trainers’ Premierships, and who has stables at Eagle Farm and the Gold Coast.
“The ride is what makes it, but also the horse’s effort under the ride was terrific.
“The ride (in the Toorak H.) is what makes it, but also the horse’s (Antino's) effort under the ride was terrific.” - Tony Gollan
“Then the next race on Champions Day was a totally different race. The pressure wasn’t there mid-race, and it was more of a sit-sprint.
“We were beaten by an absolute champion miler in Mr Brightside. So I think both his efforts have been good.
“He profiles well for a horse who can go to Hong Kong where there’s usually a bit of pressure on in races.
“Hopefully he’ll be midfield to a touch off and hopefully, finish strong.”
Antino 'loves the big races'
Gollan said Antino thrives in the elite races, which was why the Hong Kong Mile was always part of his aims with the star 6-year-old.
“It hasn’t been an afterthought. We’ve always had this race in mind for sometime, and we tried to make sure his form was good enough in the spring, which it clearly is,” he said.
“I thought the four weeks from the Toorak into the Champions Mile replicate the same system of the four weeks leading into Hong Kong.”
"We’ve always had this race (Hong Kong Mile) in mind for some time, and we tried to make sure his (Antino) form was good enough in the spring, which it clearly is.” - Tony Gollan
It goes without saying, Antino’s lightning turn of foot will be well suited for the Hong Kong Mile next month.
“He’s got a good turn of foot, particularly at the mile, and he can sustain that nice gallop as well which you saw in the Toorak,” Gollan said. “So you can make use of him early. He really enjoys pressure on in races. Had he got more pressure in the Champions Mile, maybe it might’ve been a different story.
“But he likes pressure racing, and he can sprint off that pressure. That holds him in pretty good stead going to a mile like this.”
Tony Gollan | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Shinn’s ride aboard Antino in the Toorak H. showed why he is a world-class hoop, and he is also a multiple Group 1 winner in Hong Kong.
“He’s a champion rider and he knows the Hong Kong jurisdiction well. More importantly, he knows this horse very well,” Gollan said. “He rode him quite a lot last spring, and he’s ridden him all bar two runs this spring.
“So he knows what the horse can and can’t do. It’s been a well-thought-out idea to go over there.
“We couldn’t be happier with where he’s at right now.”
Blake Shinn | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
'He has the pedigree to go further'
By Redwood (GB) – winner of the 2010 G1 Woodbine Northern Dancer Turf S over 1.5 miles (2414 metres) in Toronto – Gollan said Antino could go further in distance next year.
“He’s got pedigree with quite a bit of stamina in it, so he could arguably run past a mile if I wanted him to,” he said.
“I’ll probably ask him to do that next year, but right now he’s probably one of Australia’s better milers, so his pedigree certainly leads to that or a bit further.”
Antino is out of Mahamaya (NZ) (Bahhare {USA}) who has produced two other winners, Gollan’s gelding her first at stakes level. Mahamaya's sire Bahhare (USA) won the 1996 G2 Doncaster Champage S. and has produced two other Group 1 winners, Dowry (NZ) and Hurrah (NZ) among 14 stakes victors.
Bahhare's grandsire is the late, great Nijinsky (Can), who won the English Triple Crown in 1970.
Bloodstock expert: Antino can salute in a Hong Kong Group 1
New Zealand Bloodstock’s Bloodstock Manager, Kane Jones, believes Antino is more than capable of joining recent Ready to Run graduates Golden Sixty and Lucky Sweynesse as a Group 1 victor in Hong Kong next month.
Golden Sixty – bought by F Lui for NZ$300,000 from Riversley Park at the 2017 NZB Ready to Run Sale – retired as the world’s highest-earning racehorse in September.
Golden Sixty | Image courtesy of Hong Kong Jockey Club
He finished a 10-time Group 1 winner and with a world record HK$167,170,600 (AU$33 million) in prizemoney after saluting in 26 of his 31 starts.
Lucky Sweynesse has also enjoyed success in the Centenary Sprint Cup, Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup, Chairman’s Sprint Prize and Hong Kong Sprint – all at Group 1 level – for HK$74,279,900 in prizemoney thus far as a 6-year-old.
Like Antino, Lucky Sweynesse turned out to be a bargain buy of NZ$90,000 for J & I Bloodstock from Woburn Farm at the 2020 NZB Ready to Run Sale.
Lucky Sweynesse (NZ) | Image courtesy of Hong Kong Jockey Club
“There’s no better marketing and advertising for a sale than graduate success, and this sale has got that in spades, whether you’re looking at Australia or Hong Kong,” Jones said.
“We’ve had an incredible past few years, certainly headlined by Golden Sixty and Lucky Sweynesse, who are two absolute superstars.
“Golden Sixty is a multiple Horse of the Year and an all-time world record prizemoney winner.
“There’s no better marketing and advertising for a sale than graduate success, and this sale (NZB Ready to Run) has got that in spades, whether you’re looking at Australia or Hong Kong.” - Kane Jones
“It’s an incredible advertisement for the sale, and Antino has been a real revelation in the past season or two.
“He really took that step to the next level when winning the Toorak. I look forward to seeing him perform up in Hong Kong very shortly.
“He was electric in the Toorak. I see no reason why he wouldn’t be really competitive up in Hong Kong.”
Ideally bred for success in Hong Kong
Jones said horses at the NZB Ready to Run Sale were ideally bred for success in Hong Kong for a number of reasons, with education at the forefront.
“I think it’s a combination of a number of things. People are specifically targeting horses for this sale, whether it’s horses they’ve bred themselves, or whether they’ve gone out and sourced them,” he said.
“They’re really bringing the right horses to the sale, coupled with the incredible horsemanship of all the preparers.
“It’s a very natural way of doing it. They’re asked to breeze up, but there’s always a bit of improvement in these horses.
“I think the way they’re educated really lends itself to a higher pressure jurisdiction like Hong Kong.
“They’re the sort of horses who can cop the real high pressure of a place like Hong Kong and get up there and continue to improve and race at a really high level for a long time, like horses like Golden Sixty.”
“They’re the sort of horses who can cop the real high pressure of a place like Hong Kong and get up there and continue to improve and race at a really high level for a long time, like horses like Golden Sixty.” - Kane Jones
Jones said the standard of horses at this year’s Ready to Run Sale would be even better than last year.
A Harry Angel (Ire) colt out of Monrecour (NZ) (Zacinto {GB}) sold for NZ$800,000 to Tartan Meadow Bloodstock/Andrew Williams Bloodstock (FBAA) from Kilgravin Lodge, an All Too Hard gelding out of Tuscany Lady (Mossman) was purchased for NZ$800,000 by Mr KM Yeung from Riversley Park and a Star Turn colt out of Commonwealth (Foxwedge) was picked up from the draft of KB Bloodstock for NZ$825,000 by Mr Pato Leung/Solari Bloodstock. They were among the most expensive horse sold last year.
All three buyers are based in Hong Kong.
“I’m always careful trying to name specific horses, but I know the quality is up on last year,” Jones said.
“I know that sounds a bit cliché and repetitive, but it certainly is. And we’ve got an incredible Champion Sire representation here as well that we know Hong Kong love to buy, and right through Australasia.
“The quality coupled with the stallions will put us in pretty good stead for the next few days.”
