Harness racing trainer Anton Golino had his first runner in a race in October 2013. After spending years travelling overseas and gaining international experience with various horsemen, Golino returned to Australia and took out a training licence. Since then the 34-year old has had 48 runners for 16 winners and 18 placings but his trotting strike rate is even better.
Golino trained trotters have won nine of the 15 races they have competed in with a further three finishing second. Arboe won Saturday night's Gr. 3 La Cooaracha at Tabcorp Park Menangle while stablemate My Tribeca finished second in the NSW Trotters Oaks.
"It was a great night for the stable, Arboe is a really good horse, she is only lightly raced but she was a little difficult to get going when she first arrived," said Golino.
"The daughter of french stallion Love You has a mind of her own but she's starting to put it all together now and I think she has got a bright future."
Arboe defeated classy mare Claudys Princess on Saturday night but Golino is not getting too carried away.
"The La Coocaracha was a very good field, I thought if she found the front she would be very hard to beat, Claudys Princess was very good in defeat, it was a huge run and if you reverse the draws it probably would have been a different result.
"Arboe is really tough so over a mile we had to go forward from the draw but I think she'll get over distance and the further the race is the better she will be."
Golino will now take Arboe to Victoria in a fortnight and driver Todd McCarthy will be offered the drive.
"Todd will get the option to come if he wants, he's definitely going to retain the drive on Arboe and My Tribeca that's for sure."
Arboe is raced by Pat Driscoll's Yabby Dam Farms Pty Ltd and Golino was full of praise for him.
"Pat is an unbelievable guy, he is really passionate about trotters and I really think he can change the sport down here in Australia.
"He puts a lot of time, money and research into his breeding, he has imported some really nice horses but it is just the beginning because in five years time he will have had a massive impact on the sport."
My Tribeca ran an impressive race when finishing second in the NSW Trotters Oaks despite galloping soon after the start and will now also head to Victoria.
"The filly by another French stallion called Goetmals Wood was a little unlucky, she got flattened at the start, hit a wheel and galloped but she put in a massive run for a horse having her second lifetime run.
"She's a big filly physically, I think she would weigh close to 500 kilos now, I am tipping when she is fully grown she'll be 16 hands plus."
Greg Hayes