By Trevor Marshallsea

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A pair of juveniles by the first-season sire turn heads at Randwick-Kensington

Vinery Stud’s first season stallion Ole Kirk (Written Tycoon), the China Horse Club-Newgate axis and – of course – Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott emerged as the major winners from Monday’s first official two-year-old barrier trials at Randwick Kensington.

Ole Kirk, off a comparatively small base of named foals, had three runners for two winners.

The Bjorn Baker-trained O’ Ole (Ole Kirk) set the day’s equal-fastest time to stake her claim for the fillies’ season-opener in the Gimcrack Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) at Randwick on October 5.

And King Kirk (Ole Kirk) powered home with the fastest closing 600 metres of the session’s eight winners to make his case for the Breeders’ Plate (Gr 3, 1000m) on the same card.

The latter was one of three winners for last season’s dominant two-year-old stable Team Waterhouse and Bott, the other two of whom showed the strength of the China Horse Club, Newgate, Go Bloodstock and Trilogy Racing coterie.

Tuscany (Zoustar), the brother to triple stakes winner Schwarz who’s the group’s most expensive yearling buy, looked impressive in finishing over the top of the leaders for a 0.54-length win.

On a Good 4 and in brilliant spring sunshine, the $1.55 million Inglis Easter purchase clocked 49.11 seconds in the first heat of the day, which stood as the slickest time until matched by O’ Ole in heat six.

Perhaps more impressive to the eye was the sight of the group’s red with gold stars being carried by North England (Farnan) to an all-the-way 2.46-length victory in heat seven – the only margin on the day exceeding 1.5 lengths.

While that augured well for the first crop of Kia Ora Stud’s Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Farnan (Not A Single Doubt), Vinery will have been ecstatic by the forward showings of the initial offspring of Ole Kirk.

Bred, like her sire, by Gilgai Farm, O’ Ole was a $325,000 purchase at Magic Millions Gold Coast for Baker and Clarke Bloodstock. On Monday, she showed abundant gate speed before relaxing and kicking strongly on straightening for jockey Rachel King. She held out the fast-finishing Bel Merci (Extreme Choice) by 0.36 lengths, her 49.11 seconds completed with a closing sectional of 33.40.

King Kirk, bred by Queensland’s Ged Nolan, and bought for $200,000 for Redwall Bloodstock at the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Weanling Sale. The colt was then purchased at the Gold Coast for $300,000 by My Racehorse, Waterhouse and Bott, and Damon Gabbedy’s Belmont Bloodstock, negotiated his first appearance differently, also – and aptly – ridden by King.

He was slightly slowly away, settled fourth, then powered home once into the clear to score by 0.47 lengths, his closing sectional of 33.32 the day’s fastest, just ahead of that clocked by impressive last heat winner Icarian Dream (Blue Point).

Ole Kirk won Flemington’s Talindert Stakes (Listed, 1100m) on debut and ran third in Randwick’s Champagne Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m), but more emphatically blossomed at three, winning the Golden Rose (Gr 1, 1400m) and the Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m). Given that trajectory, Vinery were greatly encouraged by the precocious displays of O’ Ole and King Kirk as their sire continues covering his fourth book, still at his starting fee of $55,000 (INc GST).

“That’s a dream start, really,” Vinery’s Adam White told ANZ Bloodstock News.

“We knew O’ Ole went well after her jump-out last week. Bjorn was very confident she would come to the trials and go well, and we saw that. She ran a fast time, she was professional, and she’ll be ready to go in ten days in the Gimcrack.

“King Kirk was a bit more of a surprise. He just had a quiet jump out last week, but he was very professional this morning. You could see he was travelling very well and he hit the line hard, so that was really good.

“It’s very positive, certainly with a horse like Ole Kirk. He was a very good two-year-old, but a much better three-year-old. So to see him get a couple of trial winners here in September is really encouraging.

“They’re out of sharpish mares, and this is just a great entree as to what they’re going to do as three-year-olds.”

O’ Ole is the fourth foal of two-time winner Vellor (Sepoy), whose dam was Hosannah (Octagonal), winner of four stakes races including two since upgraded to Group 1s – the Surround (Gr 2, 1400m) and the Queen Of The Turf (Gr 2, 1600m) stakes.

King Kirk is from a more modest pedigree, with his two-time winning dam Oxford Angel (Nicconi) a half-sister to Listed winner Oxford Poet (Dylan Thomas).

On numbers of offspring, for Ole Kirk to have had two forward winners at the first official trials rings impressively.

According to the Australian Stud Book, he has just 24 named foals from 170 covers in his first season of 2021. For comparison’s sake, fellow first season sire Farnan has 33 from 192, Snitzel – 2022-23’s champion two-year-old sire – has 52 from 165 covers in 2021, with Capitalist having 53 from 243.

“I’ve got three Ole Kirks, and I’m definitely looking for more if anybody is looking for a trainer to train the Ole Kirks,” Baker said after O’ Ole’s win.

“They’re all nice, they’ve all got a really good constitution, a good attitude, so I’m happy with them at this stage.

“O’ Ole was very good today [Monday]. There’s probably a fair bit of improvement there in terms of fitness. The 850 metres was the furthest she’s been. I’d like to get her to the Gimcrack, and this trial will really bring her on, with one more good gallop into it.”

Bott described King Kirk as “a lovely, professional style of horse with a very good head on his shoulders”.

“He was able to sit off the speed and relax. He took those gaps, which is not easy for young horses, and he quickened really well,” he said.

The China Horse Club’s colours shone brightly as North England proved the strongest of Farnan’s four runners and Tuscany, the second foal of Group 2 winner Summer Sham (Not A Single Doubt), produced an eye-catching debut.

It would not surprise to see both vying for Breeders’ Cup favouritism, with Tuscany perhaps in pole position, especially given James McDonald is understood to have lobbied hard for Monday’s ride.

“They’re different,” Newgate’s Henry Field told ANZ Bloodstock News. “North England is a more ready-made two-year-old, and Tuscany is a Zoustar who’ll need a little time, although the stable thought he was forward enough to bring here today [Monday], so we were really pleased with how he trialled. He’s the most expensive yearling we’ve ever bought, so that tells you what we thought of him.

“But they’re both lovely horses. Hopefully they pull up well and it’d be great to go into the Breeders’ Plate with both.”

Bott, who co-trained Farnan with Waterhouse, said North England had “really gone the right way over the last few weeks”.

“He’s always been a fairly unassuming horse but the further and deeper we’ve got into the campaign, the more he’s started to sharpen up,” Bott said.

“He shows a lot of similar attributes as his dad, so I think that always makes it that little bit sweeter. Knowing Farnan and his qualities, he’s certainly passed them on to North England.

“Tuscany was brilliant. He’s a very natural horse, and for him to be doing what he’s doing so early in his career is great. I love his action, the way he covered the ground, and how he travelled through the line. Plenty of upside.”

Baker saddled another impressive Gimcrack contender in Strada Varenna (Street Boss), who produced one of the strongest finishes of the day to swoop to an 0.18-length win in heat four.

While her times were comparatively moderate, Strada Varenna was blocked under McDonald until the 200 metres before surging home, franking a smart recent jump-out.

“She was really impressive today [Monday}, and her jump-out at home was very good,” Baker said. “She won by a margin. I think James caught it out of the corner of his eye and said ‘I wanna be on her’, so that’s a really good push. 

“It’s great for the Ladbrokes Racing Club. It’s my first horse for them, and in partnership with Newgate, so it’s nice to have a lovely filly who could possibly go to the first race of the season.”

Strada Varenna represents the other end of Newgate’s buying range. They bought her – despite a windsucker notification – at the Gold Coast for just $100,000. Her sire Street Boss (Street Cry) continues to succeed, while dam Varenna Miss (Redoute’s Choice) is a Group 2-winning half-sister to top-tier victors Criterion (Sebring) and Comin’ Through (Fastnet Rock).

“We’ve had a couple of nice trial winners from opposite ends of the spending spectrum,” Field said.

“Strada Varenna is a beautiful filly out of a really good mare, and was raised on a great nursery at Emirates Park. We thought she was a good bet and she’s pleased us in her trial.”

Icarian Dream, a $300,00 Gold Coast buy for Ciaron Maher, served notice to Gimcrack rivals with an imperious 0.77-length win in the day’s last heat, barely touched by Zac Lloyd, with the day’s second-fastest last 600 metres of 33.38 seconds.

By Darley shuttler Blue Point (Shamardal), she’s out of Teebo (Stryker), a two-time winning daughter of New Zealand Railway Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Recurring (Pentire).

“She’s still very timid around other horses,” said Maher’s Sydney assistant trainer Johann Gerard-Dubord. “Once she jumped, Zac had to keep her wide where she was happy. To do it like that, travelling and just going onward to the line very much on the bridle, is very promising.”

Peter Snowden feels he has smart filly in the shape of heat two winner Memo (Capitalist), who burst home from sixth of seven on straightening to post the second-best margin of the day (1.37 lengths) and in the second-fastest time (49.33).

Snowden said Memo – a $350,000 Gold Coast purchase out of the Group 3-placed Notation (Fastnet Rock) – threw to her Slipper-winning sire Capitalist, who he also trained.

“Everything he had, she’s got. She’s super relaxed, and has plenty of natural ability,” Snowden said.

“The Capitalists always get to the track and they get there fairly early, so you haven’t got to wait too long. If they’re going to be any good, they’ll be good early.”

Snowden was also delighted with his heat five winner Raging Force (Cosmic Force), a $150,000 Inglis Classic buy, from the Listed-placed Miss Loren (Stryker), for Darby Racing.

“He’s very good,” added the syndicator’s chief Scott Darby. “The stable’s always had a good opinion of him, we just didn’t know if he’d be sharp enough for these trials. But he really finished off and I think that’ll set him up nicely for the Breeders’ Plate.”