There are very few days on the racetrack that capture the emotion and magic of our sport quite like last Friday night at the Gold Coast. O’ Ole stamped herself as Australia’s premier two-year-old with a brilliant win in the $3 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic.
Trained by my close friend and long-time client Bjorn Baker, and given a perfectly judged ride by Tommy Berry, O’ Ole surged clear inside the final 200 metres to score by a dominant length and a half. The result completed a rare double, adding to her victory in the Wyong Magic Millions 2YOClassic in December.
For Tommy, the win carried a deeply personal significance. It was a decade ago that his late brother Nathan steered Unencumbered to victory in this very race for Bjorn. Since then, the race has carried Nathan’s name on the trophy. To see Tommy win it back aboard this gutsy filly was a moment that transcended racing.
“This is the Nathan Berry Trophy every year, and I’ve been sick of handing it out. I wanted to win it again,” Tommy Berry said post-race. “The stars aligned today – the barrier, the trainer, the ride. It’s an amazing sport and I feel blessed.”
For us at Clarke Bloodstock, O’ Ole’s triumph was the culmination of a process that began 12 months ago on the Gold Coast. Together with Bjorn, we secured O’ Ole from the draft of Gilgai Farm at the Magic Millions Yearling Sale for $325,000. By first season sire Ole Kirk, out of the Sepoy mare Vellor, she wasn’t the filly we expected to fall in love with but her physique, her strength, and the way she paraded every time we saw her made her stand out.
“She was probably the filly in the catalogue we zeroed in on more than any other,” Jim Clarke said after the race. “I didn’t expect to be paying that sort of money for a yearling by Ole Kirk out of a Sepoy mare but her quality was undeniable. She had an amazing constitution from the start and has carried it through every step of her career.”
Bjorn has had a huge opinion of her from day one, and Friday night’s victory was proof of her professionalism and class. She jumped cleanly from barrier 3 (the same barrier that Unencumbered won from), travelled beautifully in the one-one, and when Tommy asked the question, she simply put the race to bed.
The win was made all the more dramatic by Bjorn’s delayed flight from Sydney, which left him watching the race on his phone in a taxi on the way from the airport. O’ Ole carried the club colours in his absence – as mall detail that only added to the story.
For Clarke Bloodstock, it was a privilege to play a part insourcing her, and to see her deliver on the promise that was evident from the first time we set eyes on her. For Bjorn and his team, it was a richly deserved reward for their planning and horsemanship. And for Tommy, it was an emotional homecoming to land one of his most prized trophies.
On nights like these, our sport reminds us why we do what we do. O’ Ole is a filly with a big future, and we can’t wait to see where she takes us next.
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