A GOOD LOOKER SCORES A COMPETENT VICTORY

By Graham Potter | Thursday, February 1, 2024

Everybody will have their own opinion on this, but a black thoroughbred racehorse, with a deep black colour, somehow seems to accentuate the magnificence of the breed.

Enter Antonito ... a three-year-old black gelding from the David Vandyke stable.

The son of Sacred Falls had raced once before, an unplaced run over 1200m, when he arrived at Doomben fresh from a three-month break from race action to contest his second start in a Maiden Plate over 1050m at Doomben on February 1, getting into the field as an emergency acceptor.

Antonito did have a barrier trial win under his belt in mid-January with gave some pointer as to how he might perform first-up and he was a solid enough favourite, even if still reasonably easy to back when shortening from $3.60 to $3.

Ben Thompson, who was in the saddle for the first time, jumped Antonito into an immediate lead from the number two barrier and he held the rail and a length advantage over his nearest challenger at a measured gallop all the way down the back stretch and through the sweep to the home turn.

On straightening, Antonito continued to kick on well, firstly shaking off what had, until that stage been the persistent presence of the $5.50 chance Le Petite Maison, and then staying on strongly enough when it mattered most to do enough to peg back the late surge of another emergency acceptor Caxton Lass, the $4.40 second favourite, who ultimately got within 0.80 lengths of the Vandyke trained runner without ever seriously threatening to change the result.

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