Trainer Bjorn Baker ponders ‘tricky’ path to Golden Slipper for Magic Millions winner O’ Ole

Magic Millions winner O’ Ole is Golden Slipper bound, it’s just how she gets there that has trainer Bjorn Baker pondering.

Jockey Tommy Berry rode O’Ole to victory in the Magic Millions 2YO Classic. Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside Photography

Trainer Bjorn Baker will likely give gun filly O’ Ole another start before she attempts to become the fourth horse to claim the Magic Millions 2YO Classic-Golden Slipper double this autumn.

O’ Ole provided Baker with his second $3m Magic Millions 2YO Classic triumph when the filly scored in last Friday night’s rescheduled card on the Gold Coast.

Baker was back at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday as Chris Waller’s boom colt Wodeton surged into outright $5 favouritism for the Golden Slipper following a sensational debut win.

O’ Ole tightened from $51 into $26 after her Magic Millions victory and was a $21 contender on Sunday afternoon.

Baker is hopeful the emerging daughter of Ole Kirk can now take her place in Australia’s premier race for two-year-olds and continues to mull over the best path to get O’ Ole there.

“It’s tricky, I was thinking about it on Saturday,” Baker said.

“We wouldn’t go into the race fresh, we would probably give her a run two or three weeks before the Slipper.

“It is a bit tricky. She has been up for a while and I am mindful.

“We will give it some thought and get her home and see how she goes. Maybe we keep her in the stable and try to keep her happy.”

The Group 2 $250,000 Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m) is on March 1 while the Group 2 Reisling Stakes (1200m) is a week later, a fortnight out from the $5m Golden Slipper.

The Magic Millions-Golden Slipper double has been achieved three times by Dance Hero (2004), Phelan Ready (2009) and Capitalist (2016).

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O' Ole wins the Magic Millions 2YO Classic! 🏆@BBakerRacing@[e-mail]/DMvU5hIUmJ

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) January 17, 2025

O’ Ole already has five races of experience to her name after featuring in the first Sydney fillies event of the season when she was runner-up to Bel Merci in the Group 3 Gimcrack Stakes in October.

She won the $200,000 Magic Millions Wyong 2YO Classic two starts before putting her name up in lights on the Gold Coast with a 1½-length victory under the urging of Tommy Berry.

“It was great,” Baker said.

“She was very good at Wyong when she had to do a heap of work and was very good first up.

“We always thought she would be better with cover so drawing gate three probably enabled her to harness that power.

“She was able to get a beautiful run throughout.”

Meanwhile, there will be a list of autumn heavyweights to step out on Monday morning at Warwick Farm trials with Group 1 winners Via Sistina, Fangirl, Switzerland, Ceolwulf and Lady Shenandoah lining up at the rescheduled heats.

Originally published as Trainer Bjorn Baker ponders ‘tricky’ path to Golden Slipper for Magic Millions winner O’ Ole