Transatlantic, last year’s Toorak Handicap winner, will be out of racing for about a year after surgery on injuries from a freak trackwork fall, trainer Tony Gollan has revealed. The news comes days before the Group 1 mile is run again at Caulfield on Saturday 10 October without its reigning champion.
The gelding needed surgery on two hocks and a hind fetlock after he lost his footing and slipped over on the bitumen before going out onto the track at Randwick, Racenet’s Ben Dorries reported via Fox Sports.
Racenet first reported the mishap last month, when it was hoped Transatlantic had escaped with mainly superficial injuries. Further scans found injuries that needed surgery.
“I’ve never seen it before”
“It turned out that when he slipped and fell, little pieces of bone fragmented off some of the joints from the impact,” Gollan said.
“I’ve never seen it before, he had surgery to two hocks and a hind fetlock. It’s a new one for me, but according to the surgeon it has cleaned up well and we just have to give him time to heal.”
Gollan does not believe the injury will end the gelding’s career.
“I don’t think it’s career over, but he will be out for quite a while. He will be out for winter next year and we will maybe try to look at spring, he will have probably a year out.”
From Toorak glory to the sidelines
Transatlantic won the 2025 Toorak Handicap under Mark Zahra, narrowly holding off Evaporate to give Gollan back-to-back wins in the race after Antino in 2024.
The six-year-old son of Snitzel was last seen finishing fifth behind Headley Grange in the Tramway Stakes at Randwick on 5 September, according to Breednet. He also ran in June’s Stradbroke Handicap, which was won by Spicy Martini.
Evaporate is back for another crack at the Toorak this Saturday and will jump from barrier two, as our Toorak Handicap field and barriers guide shows.
Pembrey on track for Flemington
Gollan had better news on three-year-old filly Pembrey, who will trial at Warwick Farm next Tuesday on the way to the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington at the end of the month. Gollan abandoned a possible Everest campaign for her in September.
“Pembrey is trialling at Warwick Farm next Tuesday with a view to heading to the Coolmore,” Gollan said.
“It’s a pretty strong three-year-old crop this season, but she is a sharp filly when she is at her best and she is always at her best fresh up,” he added.
Pembrey won the Group 2 Silver Shadow Stakes at Randwick before running unplaced as the $2 favourite in the Group 2 Furious Stakes, Racenet noted.
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