O’ OLE, O’ OLE, O’ OLE
Bjorn Baker-trained filly provides Tommy Berry with emotion-fueled success in $3 million 2YO Classic
Bjorn Baker’s O’ Ole (Ole Kirk) completed a memorable double on Friday night under the lights at the Gold Coast as she produced a stellar performance to take out the rescheduled $3 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m).
In what proved to be an emotional victory for leading jockey Tommy Berry, with the win coming a decade after his late brother Nathan won the same race for Baker aboard Unencumbered (Testa Rossa), the daughter of Vinery Stud’s first-season sire Ole Kirk (Written Tycoon) was her second win and second stakes victory to her record having taken out December’s Magic Millions Wyong 2YO Classic (RL, 1100m).
Sent off a $12 chance in the market, after slightly disappointing when a 2.7-length fifth in an 1100-metre handicap at Randwick following her win in Wyong, the filly jumped well from barrier three and sat just off the pacemakers throughout the first half of the contest.
Turning for home, Berry had still to move on his mount as he guided the filly ever-closer to long-time leader Vein Girl (Blue Point).
After unleashing a brilliant turn of foot just over 100 metres from home, O’ Ole stayed on powerfully in the closing stages, eventually coming home 1.5 lengths ahead of Memo (Capitalist), who finished ahead of her in third on the last outing, while the two fillies occupied the same positions in the Magic Millions Wyong 2YO Classic.
The Michael, Wayne, and John Hawkes-trained Gallo Nero (Wootton Bassett), who finished ahead of O’ Ole and Memo when he broke his maiden in the 1100-metre handicap at Randwick, finished a further half-length back in third place.
Following the race Berry paid tribute to his late brother, who ironically was also riding the winner for Baker from barrier three back in 2014.
“It means so much,” Berry said. “Since that day, they’ve named the trophy after Nathan, it’s the Nathan Berry Trophy every year and I’m sick of handing it out, I wanted to win it again.
“Ironically, I got to do it for Bjorn Baker, who Nathan was pretty much stable rider for, and he obviously won on Unencumbered here for Bjorn ten years ago.
“It might have even been from the same barrier so the stars aligned today. It’s an amazing sport and I’m blessed to be a part of it.”
The winning rider, who was enjoying his third win in the 2YO Classic, having scored aboard Karuta Queen (Not A Single Doubt) in 2011 and Driefontein (Fastnet Rock) the following year, also paid tribute to O’ Ole.
“She wins the start every time by a length and she did that again today,” he said.
“I kept looking over and using her just as much as I had to to get her into that nice one-one spot and she did the rest from there. She’s a beautiful filly.
“She’s by Ole Kirk who I had a lot to do with and I’m sure they sold really well at the sales because he [Ole Kirk] is another good one.”
Warwick Farm-based Baker was not at the track to witness the win, having had his flight to the Gold Coast delayed by four hours, but close friend and bloodstock agent Jim Clarke, who combined with Baker to purchase O’ Ole for $325,000 at the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, was on hand for the victory.
“It’s amazing,” Clarke, who also teamed up with Baker on 16 purchases during last week’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, said. “Nathan rode Unencumbered for Bjorn ten years ago and that’s what set him off on his way.
“There were so many things at play here today – she drew the exact same gate as Unencumbered, ended up getting the exact same ride from Tommy and it was all over at the 200 metres.
“Bjorn has had a huge opinion of her from the start and it was always the long-term plan to get her here.
“She was probably the filly in the Magic Millions [catalogue] last year that our whole team zeroed in on, although I probably didn’t expect to be going there thinking that I’d fall in love with a yearling by Ole Kirk out of a Sepoy mare and pay the sort of money that we did.
“She had a phenomenal physique and every time we saw her she paraded perfectly and fortunately she’s done the same in her racing career so far today.
“She’s just been the ultimate professional from the start and she’s got an amazing constitution which has allowed her to take everything before her the whole way through.
“Bjorn’s flight was delayed by about four hours and he’s only just landed, that’s why she was in the club colours. Luckily he landed in time to watch the race.”
Baker revealed he managed to watch the race in the taxi en route to the racetrack.
“From day dot she’s shown amazing ability,” the winning trainer said. “She’s very much like Unencumbered and it was very emotional as she went past the post.
“I was thinking of Nathan Berry, gate three and Tommy rode. Everything lined up. Nathan, we miss him a lot.”
“Grateful to get here eventually and we watched the race in the cab on the way here. The cab driver thought we were mad!”
O’ Ole (2 f Ole Kirk – Vellor ex Sepoy) was bred by Gilgai Farm and is the best foal from four winners of the dual winning Sepoy (Elusive Quality) mare Vellor, herself a half-sister to Group 2 scorer winner Altar (Commands) with the pair both being out of the Group 2-winning mare Hosannah (Octagonal).
Vellor has a yearling filly by Ole Kirk and was covered by the Vinery Stud first-season sire again last September.
Ole Kirk sold 15 yearlings at last week’s sale on the Gold Coast, including a colt out of three-time winner Pop Girl (Snitzel) for $700,000, and he now sits atop of the first-season sires’ table with total earnings of $2,102,400 thanks to O’ Ole’s winners’ cheque of $1,739,100 on Friday.