Cover image courtesy of Victoria Racing Club
Trainers Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young won the Bylerley Handicap over 1800 metres with 2-year-old colt Ko Phangan (Ole Kirk) on Saturday, earning the colt a run in the G1 Victoria Derby. But the pathway isn’t straight forward as he might be too sharp for that race.
It’s the third victory in four years in this race for the stable who won the race with the ill-fated but talented Arcora (Justify {USA}) in 2024 and in 2023 with Sunsource (Zoustar) who has since added the Canberra Polytrack Stayers Cup to his four-win record.
“It's a unique race. Obviously, we buy a lot of horses who aren't sharp, 1200-metre horses and this race is a good opportunity for 2-year-olds if they're strong enough to get up over a trip,” Trent Busuttin said.
“Last year's field, Arcora’s field, it held up (form wise). Obviously, he's moved on, but the horses behind him ran well.”
Arcora ran second in the G1 Victoria Derby behind Observer, who went on to win the G1 Australian Guineas in the autumn. Arabian Prince (Ghaiyyath {Ire}), who was third to Arcora in the Byerley, placed in the Listed Galilee Series Final this autumn.
A good incentive but maybe not for Ko Phangan
Having a ballot-free entry into the G1 Victoria Derby for the Byerley Handicap winner provides a good pathway for early maturing staying types. But Busuttin isn’t convinced that Ko Phangam fits the same mould as Arcora who went that way.
“It is a good incentive from Racing Victoria to put a race like this on,” Busuttin said.
“I’m undecided to be honest. I'm not 100% convinced he's a staying horse. He got away with the 1800, but it was a sit and sprint. We'll just leave all options on the table.”
“I'm not 100% convinced he's (Ko Phangan) a staying horse. He got away with the 1800, but it was a sit and sprint.” - Trent Busuttin
As a son of Ole Kirk, who won the G1 Golden Rose over 1400 metres and the G1 Caulfield Guineas over a mile, it makes sense that Ko Phangam might not stretch out to the Derby trip. His family tends to be sprinter/milers too with his dam, Singing Sand (Poet's Voice {GB}), saluting the judge three times, all over 1300 metres.
Singing Sand’s three-quarter sister Zubbaya (Dubawi {Ire}) won the Listed Alexandria Stakes over a mile and is the dam of five winners, including G3 TL Baillieu-placed Moko (Impending).
Ko Phangan | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
“We'll give him his chance and see where he lies, but all options are on the table. We'll probably have a look at a race like the Bill Stutt Stakes earlier on in the spring over a mile. It's a Group 2 and many of the best 3-year-olds usually aren’t in it as they go to the Caulfield Guineas Prelude or the Golden Rose up in Sydney,” Busuttin said.
“We'll probably have a look at a race like the Bill Stutt Stakes earlier on in the spring over a mile.” - Trent Busuttin
“That'll give us an opportunity to see where he fit in there, and then you've obviously got the options of races like the UCI Stakes or the Caulfield Guineas is a big pot at the end of the rainbow.” The Listed UCI Stakes currently runs as the Super Impose Stakes, won this season by Options (Impending).
“The spring comes up very early and you can’t automatically think, because they’ve turned three that they’re good to go. The reality is most of them aren’t strong enough to have a go in the early spring and those bigger races.
“He’s a big strong colt, so he can cope with it. We'll just give him the opportunity to see where he fits.”
Trent Busuttin | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
A good pinhooking result into promising race returns
Ko Phangan has earnings over $158,000 from his seven starts to date. Like the stable’s other winners of this race, there should be more on the table in the future.
“He’s a nice colt without getting carried away and $260,000 looks alright now. It’s under the average at the Gold Coast which is obviously an expensive sale. And I think he’s picked up $150,000 or thereabouts in stake money so he’s good value,” Busuttin said.
Ko Phangan was originally purchased for $75,000 by Sullivan Bloodstock and Bevan Smith Bloodstock from the A List Stud draft at the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Weanling Sale. He was then re-offered by Sullivan Bloodstock at the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, where Busuttin Racing purchased the colt for $260,000.
Ko Phangan as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“We bought him out of the A List dispersal sale. I had a draft up at same sale so Bevan (Smith) did all the shortlisting for me that year,” Sherah Sullivan, of Sullivan Bloodstock, said.
“I think he was one of the top pinhooks at Magics (Gold Coast) that year, so it was a pretty good result.
“I think he (Ko Phangan) was one of the top pinhooks at Magics (Gold Coast) that year, so it was a pretty good result.” - Sherah Sullivan
“(As a weanling), he was a bit of a backward fellow with quite a woolly shaggy coat, but he had a lot of natural muscle and a good hip. In the mounting yard on Saturday, you can see he’s a beast of a horse.
“He’s a lovely horse. He had a really good attitude about him too as a foal. I remember looking at him a couple of times (at the sales) as he was in my area, so I could keep an eye on him. We actually nicknamed him Bro. He has an amazing temperament on him, a real character.
Sherah Sullivan | Image courtesy of Inglis
“He's obviously got a ticket to the Derby now, and he's got to go to another level. It was a bit of a small field, but he won pretty decisively. It was a big thrill.”
Jumping into Ole Kirk
In 2025, Ole Kirk’s yearlings were from his second crop, and by the time the sales came around, he’d already had Group 3 winner King Kirk and R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic winner O’ Ole. He would go on to win Champion First Season Sire and Ole Kirk now counts seven stakes winners led by G1 Thousand Guineas winner Ole Dancer.
“We backed ourselves in on Ole Kirk that year as well, and ended up getting a good result on another one at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale too. We happened to land on Ole Kirk when he was red hot,” Sullivan said.
Ole Kirk | Standing at Vinery Stud
Sullivan Bloodstock’s Classic yearling was city-placed Elio, who was purchased by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott for $250,000. He’d been a $70,000 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale purchase from Three Bridges Thoroughbreds. Elio showed plenty early when he ran fourth in this season’s R. Listed Inglis Nursery.
The third Ole Kirk that Sullivan Bloodstock offered in 2025 was the colt from Run All Night (Charge Forward) who was withdrawn from the 2025 Magic Millions National Yearling Sale. He was also withdrawn from the same A List Stud dispersal sale that Ko Phangan went through.
Busuttin’s hunt for value
The Busuttin and Young stable have built a reputation for training outstanding stayers, but this hasn’t been a deliberate choice. It has much more to do with finding value.
“No doubt we’re perceived as a trainer of staying horses, which doesn’t worry me. The reality is that I don’t like buying expensive yearlings, and everyone wants a quick sharp early 2-year-old so you are invariably paying more for those types,” Busuttin said.
“The reality is that I don’t like buying expensive yearlings, and everyone wants a quick sharp early 2-year-old so you are invariably paying more for those types.” - Trent Busuttin
“We’ve won the Blue Diamond and a couple of the Blue Diamond Preludes and been placed in the Golden Slipper, so if we can find a 2-year-old, we’ll certainly get one. Everyone can see that big strong 2-year-old type that looks like they're going to run next week. But then you’re paying for it.”
Tagaloa winning the G1 Blue Diamond Stakes | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Busuttin and Young trained Yulong’s emerging stallion and G1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner Tagaloa. Busuttin Racing paid $300,000 for Tagaloa from Arrowfield Stud’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, and he won $1.4 million before heading off to stud. Arcora sat in around the same price bracket as Ko Phangan, costing $225,000 from Coolmore Stud’s 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft.
Small farm, big results
To get a juvenile winner for a boutique farm keeps them in the headlines and Ko Phangan already provided some indication of his ability when he placed in the Listed Taj Rossi Series Final behind Marwooba (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in the start prior to winning the Byerley.
“We're very boutique. A lot of the horses that Bev and I pinhook, we’re trying to identify racehorses, because as a small farm unless you’re getting results, you get dropped,” Sullivan said.
“It's no secret that everyone's doing the stats on farms, and I feel to stay competitive, you need to be trying to be buying athletes so that the trainers know that they can buy off us confidently.
“I feel to stay competitive, you need to be trying to be buying athletes so that the trainers know that they can buy off us confidently.” - Sherah Sullivan
“We've got a pretty good spring ahead with a couple of really nice horses going to go around. A horse that I really like that resumed the other day is Touchdown. I thought he was very good running into second from well back in the field when resuming, so he’s a horse I’ll keep my eye on.”
Lindsay Park-trained 4-year-old gelding Touchdown (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}) has won four of his eight starts and placed at Caulfield on Wednesday when resuming.
“Obviously Salty Pearl has been being a big flag bearer for us. She always puts up a good performance wherever she goes. These are a couple that should be putting their hands up in the spring.”
Salty Pearl (Tagaloa) was a Group 3-placed winner at two last season for trainer Ciaron Maher, and this season, she’s found another level winning the G2 Moonee Valley Fillies Classic and placing in the G1 Vinery Stud Stakes. She has earnings over $995,000, making her great value buying. Sullivan Bloodstock sold her for $75,000 at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale to Starblue Consultancy and Ciaron Maher Bloodstock.
Salty Pearl | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Whether we will see Ko Phangan in the Derby this spring is yet to be determined. For both Busuttin and Young, and Sullivan Bloodstock, he represents great value buying at the different points of his journey so far.
