| A decade after his late brother Nathan won the The Star Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic on Unencumbered, brilliant jockey Tommy Berry claimed an emotion-charged win in the coveted $3 million race aboard O’Ole at the Gold Coast on Friday night. |
| Riding for the same trainer, jumping from the same barrier and giving his horse an eerily run were all hallmarks of one of racing’s great fairtytales, when O’Ole burst to the lead and raced away form her rivals in the final 200m of the race. Bjorn Baker’s filly stamped herself as the nation’s premier two-year-old with the dominant length-and-a-half win over Memo, in what was a replica of the quinella in last month’s Magic Millions 2YO Classic at Wyong. Berry said the win rated among his most special in the sport. “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 get to do it for Bjorn Baker, who Nathan was pretty much stable rider for and he obviously won on Unencumbered here for Bjorn 10 years ago. “It might have even been from the same barrier so the starts aligned today. “It’s an amazing sport and I’m blessed to be a part of it.” Berry, who won the Magic Millions 2YO Classic in 2011 aboard Karuta Queen and 2012 on Driefontein, said O’Ole has all the assets needed by a juvenile to win at the elite level. “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.” A delayed flight meant Baker didn’t make it to the track in time to watch the filly but his close friend and bloodstock agent Jim Clarke said it was a win for the in-form stable to savour. Clarke and Baker combined to pay $325,000 for the filly out of Gilgai Farm’s draft at the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. Together they teamed up on 16 purchases during last week’s 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. Clarke said the filly has risen to every challenge during her short tenure in the stable. “It’s amazing,” Clarke said. “Nathan rode Unencumbered for Bjorn 10 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 form Tommy and it was all over at the 200m. “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.” Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott’s filly The Playwright, which is raced by an all-female ownership group, finished fourth and collected the bulk of the $500,000 Magic Millions Racing Women’s Bonus. |
