The 8yr-old produced a booming finish to impressively win yesterday's 1400m feature race for trainers Brian and Shane Anderton and rider Corey Campbell.
It was hoped Gallant Boy's little brother, Patrick Erin, would be in yesterday's Melbourne Cup, but a high temperature ruled him out of the last qualifying event on Saturday.
It was left to Gallant Boy to fly the flag for his sire, Gallant Guru, and dam, Mega Babe, and he did not disappoint yesterday.
The galloper left his rivals with no excuses for being beaten as he gave them all head start at the top of the straight and carried the most weight of any horse in the race.
''He has been in work a while and he had had two trials, but we haven't been able to find a suitable race for him until now,'' Anderton said.
''He is a horse that we have struggled to get as much condition on as we would liked, but this time in he has been much better.
''It is a long way off, but his main goal is the White Robe Lodge Weight-For-Age.
''Tommy Tucker is back in work - we will have the pair of them heading towards it.''
Rider Corey Campbell was the star of Melbourne Cup day at Wingatui for the second year in a row.
Campbell scored his first winning treble at last year's meeting and went one better this year with four winners.
The apprentice helped give Woodlands trainer Robert Dennis a day he will remember with his first win in race 2.
Melbourne Cup day 2018 goes down in the record books as the day Dennis trained his first winner in his own right when Nightcap scored a gritty 1200m win.
Dennis said he was unlikely to be tempted by races in the New Zealand Cup carnival, despite Nightcap's sparkling spring return.
The horse could be aimed at the upcoming Cromwell Cup meeting.
Campbell was back in the winner's circle in the next event with the Anderton-trained Markwood.
The jockey brought up his winning treble when Tony Two Chips won race 5 for the Andertons.
Both Markwood and Tony Two Chips are by White Robe Lodge sire Raise The Flag.
Campbell timed his run to perfection when Tony Two Chips nosed out runner-up Gemstone Jewels in a nail-biting finish.
The victory was a case of patience paying off when the horse broke maidens at the ripe age of 7.
Though many horses that do not win until they are 7 have had problems that have halted their progress, that is not the case with Tony Two Chips.
''We have just been waiting on him to stop growing.
''He went up to Auckland with Paul Richards when he went up there.
''It just shows you if you are patient with the Raise The Flags they will reward you.''
Tony Two Chips brought up the second consecutive training treble for the Andertons at yesterday's meeting.
