Cover image courtesy of Morphettville Racecourse
While not cheap at a price of $250,000, it may end up looking cheap by the looks of Saturday's performance. Ole Go announced himself as a colt of genuine promise when cruising to a dominant two-length debut victory over 1050 metres at Morphettville, stopping the clock strongly and doing it with plenty in hand.
A debut win with authority
Ole Go, a 2-year-old colt by Ole Kirk, could not have been much more impressive on debut at Morphettville on Saturday over 1050 metres.
Trainer Michael Hickmott unleashed the colt in the fourth race on the card, a $65,000 2YO Handicap, and Ole Go repeated what he had shown at the trials a fortnight earlier. Jumping as favourite in the four-horse field, he dashed straight to the lead and turned his rivals into mere followers, drawing away to score by a comfortable two lengths over Big Wigs (Gold Standard), with a further two lengths back to third.
“Obviously the colt has a lot of upside, the result looked strong on the clock as well as visually, so he looks a very progressive young horse,” Hickmott said.
While Ole Go was not a realtively cheap purchase at $250,000 when secured by his trainer, that figure may yet prove value given the manner of the win and the trajectory of his sire, with Ole Kirk having stood the 2025 breeding season at $99,000 inc GST.
Michael Hickmott | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
Everything is organic with him
True to Hickmott’s reputation, Ole Go has not been rushed. The colt has been allowed to develop naturally and is showing the benefit of that patient approach.
Ole Go is the first foal of Dana Point (I Am Invincible), a fast mare who won twice over 1000 metres on the track. She hails from the Tracy’s Element (Ire) (Ahonoora {GB}) family, a pedigree that has produced plenty of quality including Group 1 winners Master Of Design, Tracy's Element (Last Tycoon {Ire}), Typhoon Tracy (Red Ransom {USA}), Suntagonal (Octagonal {NZ}), Alligator Blood (All Too Hard), and Danasinga.
Ole Go as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
“Everything is organic with him, he is doing it naturally and not being pushed, he hasn’t been asked for much at all,” Hickmott said.
“He’s done a very good job on Saturday, he has broken his maiden in impressive fashion. He can have a spell now, have three or four weeks off and come back and target good stakes races like the Without Fear Stakes and the Breeders’ Stakes.”
“He’s (Ole Go) done a very good job on Saturday, he has broken his maiden in impressive fashion.” - Michael Hickmott
Looking further ahead, Hickmott suggested the door remains open.
“We will target those races and who knows, a few of the owners are based in Brisbane, so if he was to win one of those races in Adelaide or go very well, maybe it might be worth having a crack at one of those back-end races in Queensland.
“He will do well off a break, it’s all positive with him.”
Hunting an Ole Kirk, and finding a good one
Ole Go was the result of a deliberate hunt for an Ole Kirk that Hickmott had been tasked with by his good friend and client Cameron Meekin.
“My mate Cameron Meekin gave an order to find an Ole Kirk. We were actually an underbidder on one at Classic which I think has ended up with Blake Ryan, but the way it has worked out we got a nice one,” Hickmott said.
“We went to Easter, we had a budget to spend and we got him from Vinery Stud. He was actually our favourite Ole Kirk at Easter. The reserve that Vinery had on him was a quarter of a million and we got to that point and got the colt.”
Ole Kirk | Standing at Vinery Stud
Hickmott’s confidence was built on type first, pedigree second.
“I looked at all of the Ole Kirks with my good mate Gary Mudgway, and he was the one we liked, that was without looking at the pedigree, so the pedigree made us like him more.
“He is the first foal of a fast mare, who was out of a bit of an unproven mare, so it was a bit of a gamble, but it was a very good deep pedigree, the Tracy’s Element family.”
While Hickmott is quick to stress there is a long way to go to potentially making the colt into a potential stallion prospect, Ole Go does tick some early boxes.
“He has a real stallion type of pedigree if we were lucky enough to really kick on with the job. He really is a nice type, he is very good looking, dark coated, has a beautiful action, a plus eight-metre stride, he really is a beautiful striding horse.
“He (Ole Go) has a real stallion type of pedigree if we were lucky enough to really kick on with the job.” - Michael Hickmott
“We still have a long way to go, but he should thrive off a break and come back well. That was a really good start to his career off no pressure and understandably the owners are very happy at the moment.”
Early impressions as yearling ahead of Easter
Harry Roach, Vinery’s sales and nominations manager, was not surprised by Ole Go’s debut performance, having seen the colt first hand during his time at the farm and in his preparation before last year's Inglis Easter Yearling Sale where he was consigned by Vinery Stud.
“It was a win that really caught the eye wasn’t it. Sometimes you see horses win like that and you think that horse has a real bit of quality, and knowing the horse and trainer, there’s a fair bit of improvement in him,” Roach said.
“We had a bit of an idea that he was pretty good as Michael came and saw us at Magic Millions and told us that he really liked him and we better have a bet when he lined up, so we were waiting for him.”
Harry Roach | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Reflecting on Ole Go as a yearling, Roach noted the attributes that stood out early.
“He was a strong, imposing kind of colt, but he had a bit of scope. He looked that way winning - to be a pretty early 2-year-old you would think there is a fair bit of improvement there.
“He (Ole Go) was a strong, imposing kind of colt, but he had a bit of scope. He looked that way winning (on Saturday).” - Harry Roach
“We were stoked when Michael purchased him as he went to a home where he will get the chance to show his potential.”
“You want good results when selling for clients, but any horse sold is good isn’t it, while we would have loved the price to kick on a little bit, he hit reserve and it was a solid result for a first foal.”
A dam with pedigree, and very well-mated
Ole Go is only his dams first foal, so to get a result so early in Dana Point's career is a great fill-up for breeder Scott Pethybridge.
“This result sets up the mare perfectly as he is only her first foal. She lacks a bit of black type up close but she comes from an outstanding family,” Roach said.
“She is a fast I Am Invincible mare, out of a Redoute’s Choice mare, out of a Last Tycoon mare that left two Group 1 winners, so there is plenty to like.”
“She (Dana Point) is a fast I Am Invincible mare, out of a Redoute’s Choice mare, out of a Last Tycoon mare that left two Group 1 winners, so there is plenty to like.” - Harry Roach
Vinery is home for Dana Point for long-time client Scott Pethybridge, who works closely alongside FBAA Bloodstock Agent Andy Williams.
“We look after the mare for a very good client of Vinery Stud’s in Scott Pethybridge, who works closely with Andy Williams and they have done a great job with her.
“They confidently bred her to Ole Kirk in his second and third years, which can be a bit tricky, and they are now getting rewarded for it.”
Dana Point also has a yearling sister by Ole Kirk and a Stay Inside filly foal.
“So Scott and Andy have got most things right there.”
Ole Kirk - quick out of the blocks as a stallion
Ole Kirk continues to build momentum at stud, having already sired five stakes winners - including the Peter Moody and katherine Coleman-trained G1 1000 Guineas winner Ole Dancer — from just 68 runners, a stakes winners-to-runners ratio at a very good 7.35%.
Ole Dancer | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Commercially, demand remains strong for the son of Written Tycoon.
“He’s basically proven to an extent now and his oldest are only halfway through their 3-year-old season,” Roach said.
“He’s (Ole Kirk) basically proven to an extent now and his oldest are only halfway through their 3-year-old season.” - Harry Roach
“He really has made a phenomenal start. He has had his Group 1 winner from his first crop, his new crop of 2-year-olds are going well. Thrill Hunter was an impressive pre-Christmas 2-year-old winner in town, now Ole Go looks very exciting.
“The pressure is on now to keep delivering, but he has made a great start and has set himself up well to turn into a top stallion.”
