Bargain buy gives Antonio first provincial winner at Newcastle

Antonio lives with Natasha on their property at Muswellbrook, where he trains Golden Cow, the winner of Saturday's opening event, a three-year-old maiden plate (900m). Golden Cow is a very fast filly which was run down on the line in her second start, at Muswellbrook on November 24.

On Saturday, long odds-on favourite Ballet D'Espirit was a late scratching at the barriers after cutting her left near hind leg.

Golden Cow made use of the inside gate to hunt up and lead. Under the riding of talented Wyong apprentice Anna Roper, she was never headed to win by 0.92 of a length.

"I am very excited to win a race at Newcastle," Antonio said.

"We bought the filly as a baby from Inglis online for $4000 and we own her ourselves.

"Golden Cow is very fast and she is only small. If she pulls up OK I will probably run her again at the provincials over a short course and I would like to take her to Sydney later on.

"I worked on the Central Coast for the late John McNair when he had Hay List, a group 1 winner. I rode the horse trackwork.

"We have 12 horses in work here at Muswellbrook and we have a pool. We love it in the Hunter."

Newcastle apprentice Ben Osmond had his first ride for the Gerald Ryan-Sterling Alexiou stable on Whatadilemma, which won as an odds-on favourite in the 1600m super maiden.

Whatadilemma had outstanding form for the race and Osmond, a Dungog boy apprenticed to Kris Lees, put the four-year-old in second place and he dashed away at the top of the straight to win by 2.93 lengths.

Annulus, trained at Newcastle by Scott Aspery, was well backed before a strong-finishing win in the benchmark 68 handicap (1200m) to give Roper a double.

The five-year-old put the writing on the wall second up at Gosford when he came from a mile back to be 1.32 lengths from the winner.

Annulus appreciated the long straight at Newcastle and was given a gun ride by Roper to gather up the leaders and win by 1.21 lengths.