Anton Golino.
Weight of numbers, however talented, is no guarantee of success according to astute horseman Anton Golino.
Boasting a strong stable of squaregaiters, Golino will be represented by six fillies in Saturday night’s IRT Need For Speed Princess final at Tabcorp Park Melton.
Despite filling more than half the field of 11, Golino is adopting a renowned sporting philosophy ahead of the Group 1.
“This is horse racing, so anything can happen,” Golino said. “We are lucky to have such nice fillies and to have them in the final, but weight of numbers doesn’t automatically convert to a win.
“I’m confident each of them is going well enough to win, but we will have to see how the race pans out.”
Five of Golino’s runners have drawn barriers one to five, with Ima Bourbon Girl the odd one out after drawing the outside of the back row.
Of the crew, Nieta shapes as ‘the most likely’ on the strength of her heat win and gate two.
An exceptionally-bred three-year-old, Nieta boasts three wins from four starts, with Golino expecting the daughter of Muscle Mass to find the early lead.
“Nieta has drawn well and has gate speed to make the most of it,” Golino said. “Her manners have improved immensely this time in and she’ll be hard to beat.
“Dance Craze is probably the best on ability at this point, but Nieta has the draw in her favour.
“There isn’t a lot between any of them at this stage, with Ima Bourbon Girl still a big chance from the draw if she gets right run.”
