Patience has already begun to pay dividends for Yulong and breeder Gerry Harvey after promising colt Omolong made an impressive winning debut at Warwick Farm on Wednesday.
The son of champion sire Extreme Choice overcame his late December foaling date to score stylishly in the 1100m maiden for two-year-old colts and geldings.
Prepared by Chris Waller, Omolong settled near the rear before producing a powerful finish down the centre of the track to defeat stablemates Sanctum and Letters Patent by a length and a quarter.
Waller trained the first three home in the race, with the Stay Inside colt Sanctum finishing second ahead of the Wootton Bassett colt Letters Patent.
Omolong’s December 19 foaling date came after Newgate Farm extended Extreme Choice’s 2022 breeding season through until March, with the highly sought-after stallion restricted to covering just one mare each day.
Baramul Stud owner Gerry Harvey took advantage of the extended season by sending his mare Samarmeteors to Extreme Choice in January, producing the colt that would become Omolong.
Despite his late foaling date delaying his sale until the 2025 Magic Millions National Yearling Sale, Omolong proved one of the standout offerings, selling to Yulong for a sale-topping $850,000.
Waller’s assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth was pleased with the colt’s performance despite an untidy beginning.
“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,” Duckworth told Sky Racing.
“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 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Campione D’Italia, so hopefully he’s just as lucky with this colt.”
Omolong’s victory continued another exceptional season for Extreme Choice, who has now produced seven individual two-year-old winners from just 10 runners, headed by Group 2 winners Paradoxium, Berzelius and Hidrix.
