By Ray Hickson
With a Group 1 win under his belt trainer Tony Gollan is more than happy to send Transatlantic on a prizemoney building mission starting at Randwick on Saturday.
Gollan says it’s no afterthought that the Toorak Handicap winner lines up in the Listed $1 million Five Diamonds Prelude (1500m) on his way to the $2 million Five Diamonds (1800m) run at Rosehill on November 8.
The five-year-old has had three starts since his midfield Stradbroke finish and Gollan said he arrives in Sydney at the top of his game.
“He’s a gelding and you’re chasing the prizemoney aren’t you,’’ he said.
“It’s fantastic prizemoney on offer, it fits beautifully into his preparation and distance range.
“It’s always been the plan to come back for this race then hopefully on to the Five Diamonds in a fortnight.
“He’s handling the racing beautifully, he worked nicely at Cranbourne on Tuesday morning and he’ll parade in really good shape.”
Transatlantic led all the way to win the Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield two weeks ago but Gollan is adamant he’s a better horse with an on speed trail.
He hopes Tommy Berry can implement that scenario from an inside barrier and he said the 59.5kg is of no concern to him, suggesting he’s not badly placed given his 110 rating.
TRANSATLANTIC ❤️💛
It's Tony Gollan in the Toorak again! Transatlantic goes all the way and gives the Queenslander's another big one 💪 pic.twitter.com/y5l9wHHKh4
— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) October 11, 2025
Transatlantic wins the Toorak Handicap (Video 7HorseRacing on X)
“He was terrific last time, he was well ridden by Mark Zahra but he ran along at a good gallop all the way and held off a pretty good Toorak field,’’ Gollan said.
“He brings the right form to Randwick, he’s adaptable in all conditions and everything is ticking over nicely.
“He races anywhere in the first three pairs, I don’t know if he’s at his absolutely best leading.
“He can lead and win as we saw in the Toorak but when there’s something just in front of him to chase he’s that little bit better. You saw on Toorak day he has a tenacious finish on him.”
The son of Gust Of Wind, the last horse to beat Winx when she won the 2015 Australian Oaks, was a $360,000 yearling and he’s taken his time to work his way up to the top level.
Gollan, whose stable start Antino tackles the Cox Plate on Saturday, ran him in the Queensland Guineas as a three-year-old but his coming of age happened at the end of last year when he won The Buffering.
“We raced him as a late two-year-old and it was probably a bit early for him,’’ he said.
“He’s just kept on improving, his mother won the Australian Oaks so he has a good family behind him.
"As he’s matured and developed he’s become a nice galloper. The best racing is still to come for him.
“His two previous runs before the Toorak hinted he was starting to build into his preparation and I think he’s at the peak of his powers. If he turns up to Randwick in the same order he was at Caulfield he’s going to make his presence felt.”
All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s meeting at Randwick