Cover image courtesy of NZ Racing Desk
As the Brisbane Winter Racing Carnival does so often, another potential star has been unearthed, this time in the form of New Zealand-bred Antino (NZ) (Redwood {GB}). The lightly raced 4-year-old gelding stormed to a 3.01l victory in the Listed Wayne Wilson S.
Antino (NZ) is a son of the underrated Westbury Stud-based Redwood (GB), who will stand the 2023 breeding season for NZ$10,000 (plus GST).
Redwood is a son of outstanding sire High Chaparral (Ire), who proved so successful in Australasia through such gallopers as So You Think (NZ) and Dundeel (NZ). Redwood was raced by Juddmonte in the late Prince Khalid bin Abdullah’s iconic pink, green and white colours.
The entire was a classy international campaigner claiming the G1 Northern Dancer S. on the turf at Woodbine and was placed in the G1 Hong Kong Vase and the G2 Princess of Wale’s S. at Newmarket.
To date, Redwood has sired 13 stakes winners from 312 runners; among them is star galloper Sharp ‘N’ Smart (NZ), who has won the G1 New Zealand Derby and the G1 Spring Champion S. in addition to the G1 Herbie Dyke S. and the G1 Captain Cook S. victor Rock On Wood (NZ).
General Manager Russell Warwick told TDN AusNZ, “I think what has been demonstrated recently with Redwood is his versatility as a sire. He’s had a sprinter-miler in Antino, then a Derby winner in Sharp ‘N’ Smart, and even a couple of talented jumpers; Redwood covers all the spectrums.
Russell Warwick | Image courtesy of NZ Racing Desk
“He’s having a marvellous run. Redwood has been a solid sire. From his first crop he had Romancer and Nights Watch, who were outstanding racehorses.”
TDN AusNZ asked Warwick what he feels is the best attribute Redwood passes on to his progeny.
“Redwood is a beautiful horse. One of the rewarding things for us is he’s complementing the other stallions that we stand, which is one primary goal: if you're a good stud that stands stallions that are successful, you match their daughters to other stallions on your roster.
“Redwood is a beautiful horse. One of the rewarding things for us is he’s complementing the other stallions that we stand.” - Russell Warwick
“Redwood is starting to make headway as a broodmare sire and I think he is going to become successful in that realm.
“Another strength is Redwood is his sire High Chaparral, and he is an outcross to Danehill. So, that opens him up, and he works with Danehill, as Solidify is out of a Redoute’s Choice mare,” Warwick shared with TDN AusNZ.
“He’s a horse that can get a sharp horse or a Derby winner. He can get them at all levels and distances. It does depend a little bit on the pedigree and physicality of the mare, if you send a nice staying mare to him, he produces you a nice staying; you send a sharper mare to him, you’ll get a sharp horse.”
Redwood (GB) | Standing at Westbury Stud
Warwick concedes Redwood hasn’t ever covered a massive number of mares but always has a good horse, and the market for his progeny remains sought after.
“Redwood can improve a mare, and he’s also a great option for a maiden mare because he can throw a lovely foal.
“There is an appetite for his progeny. Whenever there is a Redwood winner at the trials, the phones ring from trainers and agents to see if they are for sale.”
New star on the horizon
If last Saturday is anything to go by, Redwood has another headline galloper with Antino.
Antino, raised in New Zealand, was bred by Blossom Trading and Breeding Company. He is the seventh foal and best runner from the unraced Bahhare (USA), Mahamaya (NZ).
The gelding was consigned to the 2020 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale by Cheltenham Stables, where New Balance Racing purchased him for the now bargain price of NZ$27,000. He was initially sent into training with Mark Schmetzer, where he had two unplaced trials before moving into the care of Adam Campton.
Antino (NZ) as a 2-year-old | Image courtesy of New Zealand Bloodstock
Campton guided Antino to a debut win at the Sunshine Coast in March 2022. With James Orman in the saddle, he beat his overmatched rivals by 3l.
Craig Rounsefell of Boomer Bloodstock (FBAA) overtook the management for Antino's owner, Mr J Ramchandani, horses in training in July 2022.
“Antino’s owner is based in Hong Kong, and I took over the management of his horses in July last year,” Rounsefell told TDN AusNZ.
“The horse needed a good spell, so we gave him all the time he needed and moved to Tony Gollan.
“Tony (Gollan) has done an outstanding job with him.”
As Rounsefell explained, Antino was transferred to Queensland's premier trainer Tony Gollan who is based at Eagle Farm.
“I don’t really know why I was chosen to be the trainer for Antino; I just got a phone call from Craig Rounsefell (Boomer Bloodstock) asking if we would be keen to take Antino on, ‘Yeah sure, I’ll give it a go', and it went from there,” Gollan explains to TDN AusNZ.
“Honestly, I didn’t realise what I had straight away. Antino was a lovely natured and good-looking horse. He went to the pre-trainers, and they rang me and said, 'Look I think this will be your next good horse when he comes in.'”
“They (the pre-trainers) rang me and said, 'Look, I think this will be your next good horse when he comes in.'” - Tony Gollan
Antino debuted for Gollan at the Sunshine Coast in November, and despite a little bit of ring-rustiness first-up from a spell, showed his class to win the Class 1 Plate. Gollan then took the horse to the at-times tricky circuit of Doomben for a Class 3 Plate, but the result was much the same, albeit the margin was a significant 4.05l.
Trainer Tony Gollan | Image courtesy of Michael McInally
Like most good race horses, Antino has a fool-proof temperament, never over-exerting himself, saving it all for race day when the laid-back horse becomes a dominant galloper machine.
“When I first got Antino into my stables, I just put him through the process like any other horse. He was a nice enough track worker without jumping out of the ground. He’s a very laidback horse by nature.
“Each run as we started progressing through the grades, and you’ll see by his race record, I never jumped him into the better races. He worked his way through the grades,” Gollan enthused to TDN AusNZ.
“Sunshine Coast on a Sunday, Wednesday racing; I never wanted to rush him, but he kept just improving and improving.
“By the end of last preparation, when he won a restricted mile race at Doomben, I thought, ‘Geez, this horse has a pretty good future ahead of him.'”
Thrown into The Gateway, a $250,000 race held at Eagle Farm that carries a ballot-free exemption for Queensland’s showcase race, the $3 million The Stradbroke H.
“We had hoped to sneak him into the Stradbroke with the lightweight, but that wasn’t to be,” Rounsefell shared.
“We had hoped to sneak him (Antino) into the Stradbroke with the lightweight, but that wasn’t to be.” - Craig Rounsefell
Antino first encountered defeat courtesy of Tick Tock Queen (Bel Espirit). Gollan knew he was against gaining a start in the Stradbroke with the influx of higher-rated and more seasoned performers targeting the race.
Having one last ditch effort to gain entry into the race, Gollan set Antino for a Class 6 at Eagle Farm, intending to then run in the G3 BRC Sprint, which would have qualified the gelding for the Stradbroke fourth-up.
It wasn’t to be, but Gollan was happy to point to his contingency plan and all that is planned well, ends well.
Antino (NZ) | Image courtesy of NZ Racing Desk
“The one defeat he suffered was in The Gateway, which was a ballot-free race for the Stradbroke H. and when he ran third, I knew my cards were stacked against me.
“I tried to get his rating up by winning the Class 6 at this preparation; hoping he could get a run into the G3 BRC Sprint, which would have had him in the Stradbroke fourth -up. But his rating was never high enough, and it wasn’t meant to be this year.
“It’s been a strong carnival, but the Wayne Wilson was always my second choice. I think he would have run a bold race in the Stradbroke, but I will never know.”
Big future
Antino has now headed for a spell as a winner of eight of his nine starts and over $300,000 in prizemoney. Connections have indicated they are planning and preparing for the spring in Melbourne.
“I’m pleased with how he performed with Wayne Wilson. Antino has gone for a spell, and we are in the process of mapping out a spring preparation,” Gollan told TDN AusNZ.
“It’s nice to have a good Redwood in the stable. He’s a beautiful horse and has been a pleasure to train; he makes my job easy.”
Rounsefell added, “We were delighted to win the Wayne Wilson. Tony has always had a big opinion of Antino and believes there is still plenty more to come as he steps up in trip.”
