A competitive juvenile colts and geldings race over 1100m at Warwick Farm on Wednesday featured all unraced youngsters bar one and the Chris Waller stable produced the trifecta led by expensive Extreme Choice colt Omolong in the Yulong colours.
Omolong was backed into favouritism following a recent trial win and despite stepping away slowly was able to regroup for Tommy Berry and win.
He was allowed to find his feet and when angled into clear running let down with a good turn of foot to go on and win by a length over Sanctum (Stay Inside) and Letters Patent (Wootton Bassett (GB).
An $850,000 Magic Millions National Yearling Sale purchase from Baramul Stud for Yulong, Omolong was conceived in January so has a December 19 foaling date, which explains his somewhat belated debut for a colt with a pedigree packed with juvenile speed.
“They all ran super. Obviously, Omolong made it hard for himself, stepping a little bit slow away, but he was too good and the other two acquitted themselves nicely,” said stable representative Charlie Duckworth.
“We’ll get today out of the way. He's now no longer a maiden, so he'll have to step up in grade and things become much harder from that point on, but it was a brilliant first day at school.
“He's a little bit small, but that's Extreme Choice… he can throw them in any shape and size, and they've all seemingly got engines.
“Gerry Harvey kept a little share in him as well. He did the same with Campione D'Italia (G1 winner), so hopefully he's just as lucky with this colt.”
Omolong topped the 2025 MM National Yearling Sale and is a half-brother to Group II winner Prost from a half-sister to dual Group I winner Samaready, the dam of Golden Slipper winner Shinzo, who was also trained by Chris Waller.
Tommy Berry was thrilled to get the ride on the colt and believes there is more to come.
“They (2YOs) can do things wrong and that’s when ability has got to take over, and I was pretty confident with what the team had given me before the race and what they thought of his ability,” said Berry.
“I loved his trials. He went past me in his last trial when I was second and I had a look and was like, 'Oh, who's that? Then you see yourself on him at acceptances and it’s a pretty good feeling.
“In the gates there were couple playing up around him and he was too busy sort of concentrating on that, so he didn't leave the gates very well, but I just rode him to Plan B and asked him to switch off, which was very easy. He was in my hands when I asked him to go, and he rounded them up pretty quick. It's a nice feeling when you don't have to use the persuader.
“It's great for Yulong and their team as they put a lot of money into the sport and great for Extreme Choice.”
Omolong is the fifth winner from six foals to race from winning Northern Meteor mare Samarmeteors, who has not had a foal since he was born, but was covered last spring by Broadsiding.
Yulong have already had luck with Extreme Choice having purchased his Group I MRC Blue Diamond Stakes winner Devil Night as a yearling and he will stand at their new Hunter Valley location this spring.
Omolong is the sixth 2YO winner this season from just nine runners for Extreme Choice and they include Group winning colts Paradoxium, Berzelius and Hidrix.
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