It was an enormous end to Caulfield Guineas Day in Melbourne on Saturday with the Toorak Handicap 2024 win going to the Tony Gollan-trained Antino who produced a stellar run to come right round his rivals and salute by six and a half-lengths.

Antino won the 2024 Toorak Handicap at Caulfield by 6.5 lengths. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

It was a deserving elite level success for the Queensland who had been knocking on the door for a Group 1 win.

His time in the spotlight came in the last at Caulfield with the six-year-old son of Redwood improving on his second to Attrition last year to steal the show thanks to a bold ride by Blake Shinn in this year’s Group 1 $1 million Toorak Handicap (1600m).

“He was brilliant, he was awesome, he’ s a really good horse, he’s been destined to win a Group 1 and it’s just been a matter of when and to win it like that, we came here, it was so close last year, I thought he was just a run short,” Gollan said.

“This year I knew I had him, as good as we’ve ever had him. It was just a matter of luck on the day, and he took that into his own hands and got the job done.

“It means a lot.  Very much mixed emotions. We were back last early. Thought we were in a lot of trouble but what a masterful ride by Blake.

“The first thing we said after Moonee Valley the other night when we were racing against Pride of Jenni (in the Feehan)

“He can sustain and build pressure in a race. No matter where we landed today, we just wanted to travel and then be able to use that long sustained run and that’s what he did.

“We took off a bit early on him, but he can sustain a good gallop for a good while, what a dominant display!”

The galloper came off a trio of good lead-up runs against the season’s best including a Group 1 Makybe Diva third to Mr Brightside and third to Pride Of Jenni at The Valley last time out in the Group 2 Feehan Stakes.

He presented rock-hard fit fourth-up and ready to fire in the Toorak, which he was able to do thanks to the courageous move by Shinn at the 500m that saw the hoop hit the whip and loop the field to come from last to take up front running approaching the home turn.

It proved a winning move with Antino responding beautifully extending his lead down the straight powering home to salute by 6.5 lengths on the line over the runner-up Craig.

“Just really delighted to get the win on Antino today,” Shinn told Racing.com.

“He’s been knocking on the door to get that Group 1 and we were hoping that would come today.

“I rode him conservatively and brought him into the race when I thought the race was slackening a bit.

“God he was strong to the line!”

In third completing this year’s Toorak Handicap trifecta was the Grant & Alana Williams-trained Star Turn mare from WA Alsephina who continued her good spring in Melbourne off a lead-up Group 2 Stocks Stakes victory at Moonee Valley.

Gollan will now give thought as to whether Antino will stick to his original next-up target of the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) and then Hong Kong or be tested over further this prep.

“Yeah, look this might change things now. I was maybe going to go to the Rupert Clarke, and then to Hong Kong, but I’ll just play it by ear,” he said.

“We’ll get home and let the dust settle next week, and you know the horse is in the peak of his powers now.

“It’s just a matter of holding him in that condition.”

2024 Toorak Handicap Results

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

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