Premier trainer Tony Gollan is eyeing a Stradbroke berth with Archer hopeful Transatlantic
Brisbane's top trainer Tony Gollan is feeling a strong sense of deja vu with his Stradbroke Handicap hope Transatlantic, but this time he hopes it turns out for the best.
Over the past two years, Gollan's stable stars Antino and Freedom Rally have fallen agonisingly short of securing spots in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm.
Last year, Freedom Rally won the Listed Wayne Wilson (1600m) as a consolation prize while Antino won the same race in 2023 after also dipping out on a Stradbroke berth.
But Gollan is praying it will be third-time lucky with Transatlantic, which kicks off his 2025 campaign in the $1m The Archer slot race (1300m) at Rockhampton on Sunday.
Jennifer Acton, the slot holder for Transatlantic and widow of Queensland cattle baron Alan, drew barrier two at a Rockhampton property on Wednesday night when participants were asked to pick one of 12 dogs to reveal their gate number.
'To me it feels a little bit like deja vu with those horses (Antino and Freedom Rally),' Gollan said.
'They did really good jobs in their summer preparations and they ticked boxes that they could make Stradbroke horses at that time of their lives.
'Unfortunately we were so close but so far with both of them without getting into the race.
'Both ran in the Wayne Wilson the same day (as the Stradbroke) and were dominant winners.
'Hopefully we're not doing the same thing with this horse (Transatlantic). But he gives me the right feel this horse, similar to those other two horses at the same stage.'
Transatlantic won his last start, the $300,000 The Buffering (1400m) at Eagle Farm on December 28, but Gollan had hatched his Stradbroke plan for the son of Snitzel well before that race.
'I really liked the horse going into the Queensland Guineas last year but unfortunately we didn't get to see him as good as what he is because he pulled up with a virus a few days later when he went to the paddock,' Gollan said.
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'He ran second in the Listed Daybreak Lover (in April last year) and he was still an immature horse back then.
'In the Guineas he started second or third favourite but I got a feeling of how good he is.
'The summer was all about getting him ready for hopefully this winter.
'I've felt if he can keep on developing like I hope he can, he can become a really good horse.'
Gollan said Transatlantic would likely run in the Group 3 BRC Sprint (1350m) at Doomben on May 24 and possibly the Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) at Eagle Farm on May 31, giving him a two-week lead-in to the Stradbroke Handicap on June 14, if he makes the field.
'We have to be realistic. The winter carnival is a massive step up from the summer and there are no easy races, they're all strong, so he needs to go to another level,' Gollan said.
'It feels to me in his work that he really has and I'm hopeful that we'll see that when he gets to the 1300m, 1400m in this preparation.
'If I can get him to the Stradbroke, he's the sort of horse who can be very competitive with a light weight.'
Gollan is hunting his first Group 1 on home turf since Jamie Melham rode Vega One to victory in the 2021 Kingsford Smith Cup.
In the two-year-old ranks, he rates Hi Barbie as a potential winter carnival star and gelding Boomtown Boss, which will contest this Saturday's Group 2 Queensland Guineas (1600m) at Eagle Farm, as a serious contender among his three-year-olds.
'Boomtown Boss can't do much more than what he's been doing,' he said.
'He's won his first two races back (this campaign) and he's probably as good a chance as I've had going into a Queensland Guineas since I've been training.
'Of the older sprinters, you've got Hidden Wealth, I think he's gone to a new level, Zarastro is another really nice horse and then there's Transatlantic.
'I think we've got a lot of good horses for a lot of races but I just think this carnival, like I've seen the past two years, it's very hard to win races.
'You need everything to go your way on the day and hopefully that happens to a few of our horses in the carnival.
'It's going to be a strong six or seven weeks but we relish the challenge.'
The Stradbroke Handicap is ratings-based so Transatlantic will need a ratings boost to get into the field or win a race that carries ballot exemption.
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