Little short of a juggernaut is how Bjorn Baker’s summer could be described and not even a delayed flight from Sydney to Gold Coast could hold him back from training a feature race winner.
O’ Ole, a son of Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) and Group 1 Golden Rose (1400m) winner Ole Kirk, strode to victory in the $3 million Magic Millions 2yo Classic (1200m) in a plan hatched with this race the sole aim of the campaign that also delivered a win in the Magic Millions feature at Wyong in December.
For jockey Tommy Berry, the win provided a fond reminder of his late brother’s success aboard Unencumbered in this race a decade earlier and Baker shared the depth of feeling.
“From day dot she’s shown amazing ability,” Baker 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.”
O’ Ole ($12) was purchased for $325,000 at the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale with Baker’s team holding few concerns in paying the price for a filly that caught their eyes.
“She was probably the filly at the sales last year that the whole team zeroed in on,” Jim Clarke said who is a part of Baker’s team.
“I probably didn’t expect to get there and fall in love with an Ole Kirk out of a Sepoy mare and pay that sort of money, but she had a phenomenal physique and every time we saw her parade perfectly.”Fortunately, she has done the same in her racing career so far.”
O’ Ole beat home the Paul Snowden-trained Memo ($4.80 favourite) by 1½-lengths with Gallo Nero ($6) a further 1/2-length away in third.
“Grateful to get here eventually and we watched the race in the cab on the way here,” Baker said.
“The cab driver thought we were mad.”