O’ Ole and Bauhinia slam down Gold Coast markers at Wyong

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The road to the lucrative Magic Millions raceday got underway in earnest on Wednesday for O’ Ole (Ole Kirk) and Bauhinia (Hellbent), who emerged as genuine contenders for races at the Gold Coast in January when they produced impressive displays at Wyong.  

Trained by Bjorn Baker, O’ Ole broke the race record held by Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) and Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Capitalist (Written Tycoon) when she beat a quality field in the $200,000 Magic Millions Wyong 2YO Classic (RL, 1100m), a performance which sets her on a path towards the 2YO Classic at the Gold Coast on January 11. 

The daughter of Vinery Stud’s first-season sire Ole Kirk (Written Tycoon) was first sighted competitively when finishing second, 1.4 lengths adrift of the winner Bel Merci (Extreme Choice), in the Gimcrack Stakes (Gr 3, 1000m) on October 5, while her second start came in the Golden Gift (1100m) a month later, where she finished fifth. 

Ridden by Jason Collett on Wednesday, O’ Ole showed a potent turn of foot to beat Memo (Capitalist) – who finished third in the Gimcrack – by 0.5 lengths in a time of 1:02.90. The winner’s stable companion, Horseshoe Hill, (All Too Hard), who was having her first start, finished another length away in third, with fillies filling the first three places. Tempestuous (Extreme Choice), who was sent off the $2.25 favourite, was the first colt home in fourth.

“She took plenty of improvement out of her last start,” Baker’s Racing Manager Luke Hilton said. “She paraded well today. Drawing a [good] gate today [three] made a big difference. Jason didn’t have to push or pull. He could just land where he wanted to.

“She’s a lovely filly and she deserves her place in the Millions. We’ve got her there now – we just have to hold her together. 

“It will be a good week there [on the Gold Coast] in January.”

Meanwhile, of Horseshoe Hill, Hilton said: “She is definitely six to twelve months away so for her to sit off them like that and hit the line like she did, she’s got a future as well,” he said.

“We will see how she pulls up and see where we go with her.”

Collett said O’ Ole had taken improvement from her first two runs and was confident she could run well on the Gold Coast. 

“She handled things a lot better in the yard today,” the winning rider said. “She seems back on track.

“Five weeks between runs. Obviously with the little break she has done well in the stable environment. Looking forward I can’t see why she wouldn’t [be suited to the Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic].”

Despite defeating Memo for a second time, O’ Ole was promoted to only the second line of betting for the Magic Millions 2YO Classic at $8, with the bookmakers instead siding with the runner-up, installing the Snowden-trained filly as the new $5 favourite for the January 11 feature. 

O’ Ole (2 f Ole Kirk – Vellor by Sepoy) was bought by her trainer and James Clarke Bloodstock for $325,000 from the draft of her breeders Gilgai Farm at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale earlier this year. 

The filly is out of the dual-winning Sepoy (Elusive Quality) mare Vellor, making her a half-sister to two further winners. Vellor herself was bought by Dermot Farrington Bloodstock for $375,000 at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in 2019. 

Vellor is a daughter of the three-time Group 2 winner Hosannah (Octagonal), whose seven other winners were headed by Group 2 scorer Altar (Commands). 

Last October, Vellor produced a sister to O’ Ole and she was not served this year. 

The victory provided Vinery Stud’s first-season sire Ole Kirk with his second stakes winner, joining Breeders’ Plate (Gr 3, 1000m) winner King Kirk, who it was announced last week had died after an accident in the swimming pool. 

Ole Kirk has 22 lots catalogued at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale which gets underway on January 7. 

Magic Millions Guineas the target for Bauhinia

The Lee and Cherie Curtis-trained Bauhinia advertised her Gold Coast Magic Millions 3YO Guineas (RL, 1400m) credentials when took out the Magic Millions Wyong 3YO & 4YO Stakes (1200m). 

Racing for the first time since a 1.4–length sixth in the Silver Shadow Stakes (Gr 2 , 1200m) in late August, Bauhinia overcame a tardy start to notch a record-breaking victory, clocking a time of 1:07.67. 

In winning Wednesday’s contest, the filly smashed the 1200-metre track record at Wyong in the process – a record previously set by subsequent Magic Millions 3YO Guineas winner Graceful Anna (Canny Lad) in 2009.

Under Tommy Berry, the well backed daughter of Hellbent (I Am Invincible) produced a stunning late burst to collar The Novelist (Written By) in the closing stages, beating that rival by 0.4 lengths. Queen Of The Mile (Written Tycoon) finished a further 0.5 lengths away in third. 

Raced by a Magic Millions Racing Women group headed by Christine Cook, Bauhinia was a $300,000 buy for Mystery Downs from the draft of her breeders Yarraman Park Stud at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in 2023. 

“I thought we had no hope,” Lee Curtis said. “I thought if we could run past a few and run third – but she picked them up so well and they’ve run a track record.”

“I said to connections ‘she’s a little bit inexperienced – but she’s got x-factor’. This is taking me back to when I had Private Steer at the start, she’s exceptional.

“I’m pretty lost for words.”

Bauhinia (3 f Hellbent – Like A Butterfly by Blackfriars) is out of Western Australian Listed winner Like A Butterfly (Blackfriars) and hails from the same family as 1993 WATC Champion Fillies Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m) winner Prime Again (Marooned), Group 1 winner Mizzy (Zoustar) and this season’s Twilight Glow Stakes (Listed, 1400m) winner She’s Got Pizzazz (Zoustar). 

Like A Butterfly produced a colt by Hellbent’s barnmate Brave Smash (Tosen Phantom) last August.