Antrim Coast continued his upward Derby trajectory on Saturday, despite having to settle for second in the Listed Galilee Series Final (2400m) at Caulfield.
The Stephen Marsh-trained three-year-old finished second behind Orchestral in the Group 1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) in March and franked that form with a tough victory in the Group 2 Alistair Clark Stakes (2040m) over Kiwi filly Quintessa at Moonee Valley.
Antrim Coast lined-up on Saturday at much shorter odds, but came off second-best to fellow Kiwi-bred Gold Wolf, going down by a head.
Marsh was pleased with the gelding's performance but admitted that pressure was placed too soon in a testing 2400m contest.
“I thought he went super, I couldn't have asked for any better from him,” Marsh said.
“The rider was very apologetic, he just went so far from home and needed to be a lot more patient. We feel he would've been very hard to beat, but he was probably travelling so well that he's gone for him too early.
“But he's come through it really well, he's right on track for the South Australian Derby. He's always been a laid-back horse, takes everything in his stride and loves it. He's the ultimate racehorse.”
Antrim Coast is now set to represent his owner-breeder, Dick Karreman of The Oaks Stud, in the $1 million Group 1 South Australian Derby (2500m) at Morphettville on May 4, a race won by New Zealand-breds for the last three years.