Gold Coast Magic Millions

TRAINER Bjorn Baker took out his second A$3 million Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic, saluting with O’Ole

Eleven years earlier Baker legged up the late Nathan Berry on Unencumbered. On Friday night he legged up his twin brother Tommy Berry.

“It means so much,” said Berry after O’Ole’s win. “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 get to do it for Bjorn Baker, who Nathan was pretty much stable rider for and he obviously won on Unencumbered here for Bjorn.

“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.”

A $12 chance, the Ole Kirk filly was a $325,000 Magic Millions purchase from Victoria’s Gilgai Farm. Hitting the lead 150m out in the 1,200m dash, O’Ole gave her rivals little chance winning comfortably to defeat the Capitalist filly Memo and the Wootton Bassett colt Gallo Nero.

Bosustow pips Dempsey

Annabel Neasham and Rob Archibald struck in the A$3 million Gold Coast Magic Millions 3YO Guineas over 1,400m last Friday evening when their colt Bosustow, by Blue Point out of the Irish-bred mare Bumbasina won in thrilling fashion.

The half-brother to Group 1-winner Amelia’s Jewel defeated the Cosmic Force gelding Give Me Space, ridden by Luke Dempsey, by a nose with the I Am Invincible filly Arriving Home in third.

“It’s a big prize pot for a very well-bred colt with a great bunch of owners,” said Neasham of the colt that was a $900,000 Magic Millions yearling.

“He’s been a little bit of a bridesmaid this horse - he’s obviously Group 1-placed and he was a bit unlucky not to win at Flemington during Cup week. He’s always been thereabouts and we knew he had a big one in him. It was timed to perfection by Josh (Parr), I could see he had a lap full of horse around the corner.”

Easter catalogue released

INGLIS have released their Australian Easter Yearling Sale catalogue which will be held at their Sydney Riverside complex over April 6th and 7th.

Home Affairs, Stay Inside, St Mark’s Basilica, Palace Pier, Acrobat, Captivant, Noverre, Pinatubo and Wild Ruler headline the first season sires. Last year’s sale produced an average of A$426,447 from 356 yearlings sold at a clearance rate of 80%.

The catalogue of 421 yearlings is available online with hard copies able to be ordered at catalogue@inglis.com.au.

New Zealand

Doyle lands Cup

TIPPERARY-born Joe Doyle has won his second Wellington Cup aboard the Peter and Shaun McKay-trained Wolfgang on Saturday, the pair landing a two-length victory over Trentham’s 3,200m. The 152nd edition of the race, one of New Zealand’s most famous, is an open handicap, with the Group 3 worth NZ$400,000.

“It’s fantastic,” said Doyle, who also tasted success in 2022 with Leaderboard. “I’m lucky enough to have won the race twice now, and Mum and Dad are here today, all the way from Ireland. So it’s a brilliant thrill to win a race like this in front of them.

“The McKays are absolute masterminds. His run at Ellerslie last time, you’d think it was average, but they really believed he was in great form coming into today.

“When I pushed the button in the straight, he just ran past them. They’re only a small stable, but they do fantastic work and deserve results like this.”

Settled near the tail, Doyle brought Wolfgang into the race from the 900m, gradually improving his position, 10-wide on the final turn as the 15-horse field compressed, Wolfgang overpowered his rivals once balanced making it an easy watch for his connections and the father and son training team of Peter and Shaun McKay.

The Puccini gelding defeated the Tarzino gelding Crouch with the Reliable Man gelding Nest Egg in third.

Special

“This is unreal, I had a little tear there,” said Shaun McKay. “I was never able to ride a 3,200m winner in my career, but it’s special to be lucky enough to train one today with Dad. Mum and Dad had the stallion too and had some great success with him, so that just makes it even better.

“He just showed today that he’s a really tough horse. Hopefully we can get him back to Aussie next season and pick up a good win there. It would be amazing to get him to the Melbourne Cup.”

Wolfgang was Doyle’s 149th New Zealand winner, his 150th came on Monday at Wanganui aboard Monologue for trainer Alexander Fieldes. He is currently eighth on the New Zealand Jockeys’ Premiership with 33 winners and 90 placings from 434 rides.

THIS weekend sees New Zealand Bloodstock hold their Karaka 2025 yearling sale, with Book 1 to be held over three sessions from Sunday until Tuesday, January 28th.

Between Karaka 2018 and Karaka 2023, 47 individual Group 1 winners of 65 Group 1 victories have come out of NZB’s National Yearling Sales Series. The average price for those Group 1 graduates has been NZ$174,069, with 22 of them selling, or passing-in for $100,000 or less. In 2024, Karaka Book 1 averaged $168,257 from 473 yearlings sold at a clearance rate of 87%.