Ole rounds out Millions prep at home

By Brad Bishop and Danny Matthews  

It has been almost a decade since the Magic Millions 2YO Classic was won by a horse who did not have their final lead-up run in Queensland, but Bjorn Baker is looking to buck that trend with O' Ole.

The daughter of Ole Kirk will round out her preparations in this Saturday's $160,000 Petaluma Handicap at Randwick.

The 1100 metre event will be run two weeks out from the $3 million Gold Coast feature and while there was also an option for O' Ole at Eagle Farm, Baker was keen to keep her home for as long as possible.

"There is a similar race in Queensland on Saturday, but this just leaves her at home for a little longer and we'll be able to run in this and then head up to Gold Coast," Baker's racing manager Luke Hilton said.

"She'll run on Saturday and then that will give her two weeks into the Magic Millions.

"She's obviously qualified for that by winning the Wyong race but she needs a tick over run leading into it, so she'll go around on Saturday."

O' Ole (58kg) will this weekend renew hostilities with Memo (56.5kg), who she defeated in the Wyong Magic Millions 2YO Classic and also beat home when second in the Group 3 Gimcrack Stakes on September 30.

Tempestuous (58kg), the beaten favourite at Wyong, also lines up and the Gold Coast is still on the agenda for that trio, who will be out to become the first horse since Capitalist to win the Magic Millions off a final lead-up outside Queensland.

Capitalist, the 2016 Magic Millions winner, went straight to the Gold Coast off a win in the same race that O' Ole won at Wyong.

Memo is favourite over O' Ole in both Saturday's race and also the Magic Millions, but the Baker team is delighted with its charge.

"She can't have done any more than what she did at Wyong," Hilton said.

"She sat outside a good speed and win and we know she is still improving all the time, as most of the two-year-olds are.

"We couldn't be happier with her. Rachel King galloped her Tuesday morning and she was over the moon with how she feels and she's progressing nicely with the more racing she's getting."

King gets back aboard O' Ole at Randwick, after Jason Collett rode at Wyong, with the pair to start from the outside alley in the field that is down to eight runners.

Meanwhile, Nikau Spur is not eligible for the Magic Millions wildcard that is on offer in Saturday's Shoot Out at Eagle Farm, but that won't prevent Corey and Kylie Geran from chasing another win with him.

The rejuvenated eight-year-old will have his 13th start since April in the $125,000 event over 2100 metres.

Being bred in New Zealand and offered for sale at Karaka renders the son of Proisir ineligible for the Magic Millions wildcard, but The Shoot Out shapes as the most suitable option after a successful two-start raid on New South Wales.

"He's had his last two starts at Newcastle and Randwick and I wasn't really sure what to do with him, but we got him home and he's as well as ever," co-trainer Corey Geran said.

"Even if he was to win, he can't get in the Magic Millions race because he was put through Karaka as a yearling, but there's just not many other options for him.

"We'll just keep trying to pick off the races can we find with him because he's absolutely in career-best form."

It took Nikau Spur nine starts to break through this year, but did so in the Listed Queensland Cup over 2400 metres on October 12 and posted another victory two starts later in The Beauford over 2300 metres at Newcastle.

His only start since was a third placing in the Listed Christmas Cup over 2400 metres at Randwick on December 14.

It has only been this preparation that Nikau Spur, who started his career in Australia with Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, has got out beyond 2200 metres, which has Corey Geran confident of him handling the drop back 300 metres in trip this weekend.

The Toowoomba co-trainer considers drawing barrier six and being reunited with Mark Du Plessis as positives.

"I think the barrier is really important for him, it should get him a bit of cover," Corey Geran said.

"As long as there's a bit of pace on, just a genuinely-run race, he should lob in a good spot and Mark gets back on and he's won three races on him."

Nikau Spur is a $10 chance in betting on The Shoot Out, which is headed by Kerchak ($3.90) and Belvedere Boys ($5).