BIRCHLEY WEAVES HIS KARAKA MILLIONS MAGIC AGAIN. DREAM ROCA GIVES HIM HIS THIRD SUCCESS IN THE RACE

By Graham Potter | Saturday, October 24, 2026

Liam Birchley has done it again!

The Queensland based trainer landed his third TAB Karaka Millions 2YO win at Ellerslie on Saturday when a primed to the minute Dream Roca chased down the game frontrunner, the $150 bolter MaGill, to get up in the final strides in an absolutely thrilling finish.

It was a long chase, in which Birchley’s magical touch with two-year-olds and his understanding of what is needed to get them to peak under pressure on a big race-day was clearly evident.as Dream Roca stretched out with meaning over the final 150m, pushing his head out in full stride in a concentrated effort to reel in Magill, who was not stopping.

Jockey Ben Thomson also played an important part in the victory.

Thompson made sure that Dream Rica used his number one barrier to full advantage so that, when the field turned for home, the filly was still saving ground on the rail and right on the heels of the leader … but she had a potential problem to her outside in the form of Torture, another Australian contender with Craig Williams up, who just shaded Dream Roca in second spot in the early part of the straight while threatening to keep the Birchley runner trapped along the rail.

MaGill gave a great kick. Torture was still the closest chaser at the 250m mark with Dream Roca still right there. Then, inside the 200m mark Thompson rallied Dream Roca and angled the filly into the daylight between McGill and Torture, a gap which Dream Roca attacked with relish … even taking the weakening Torture out wider on the track as he breezed past the Ben, Will and JD Hayes trained runner … and then it was a straight fight between MaGill and Dream Roca with the question being if Dream Roca had what it took to claim the result or whether the post would come too soon for the now flying Dream Roca if MaGill could stick on.

At the 150m, MaGill led Dream Roca by 1.50 lengths. That margin came down to a neat length with 100m left to run … then it was half-a-length with 50m to go with both runners still giving their all … and it was only in the last couple of strides that Dream Roca was able to take MaGill’s measure and edge away to a hard-fought win.

Horse, trainer and jockey had all been quite brilliant in the individual contributions they made in taking out the Karaka Millions 2YO.

This was Birchley’s third win in the race. He had previously won with Sister Havana in 2010 and Hardline in 2015. Ben Thomson was winning the race for the first time in his first day of riding at Ellerslie and Dream Roca … well, the NZ$75 000 purchase by Birchley has just taken his race earnings to over $600 00 from only three starts (two wins and a runner-up finish) … that return coming in a three month blitz since she made her debut on October 25.

Birchley only bought two horses at the sales last year and they both made the 2026 Karaka Millions 2YO field. His other runner, Vandezee, finished unplaced when racing from an outside barrier draw.

Still, getting two out of two horses into the race is quite an achievement … and the process Birchley follows in making his selections at the sales is far from the general one.

“Obviously to win the race you need to get luck on the day, but first you just need to have the right horse to get into the field,” Birchley told Trackside NZ pre-race. “You need to qualify, so you need to find an early running, sound two-year-old.

Then, when talking to New Zealand Herald after the win, Birchley added to that theme.

“I don’t look at the sales catalogue. I only look at it after I have looked at the horses, but only so I can work out what they might cost,” said Birchley.

“The pedigrees don’t matter to me as much. I look for athletes who are strong enough to handle a two-year-old preparation. That is the formula.”

It is a formula which not only obviously works for Birchley, but it has an added advantage of being a formula that is hard to copy.

You have would have to have a unique insight and awareness of exactly what you are looking for in the sales ring with regard a horses two-year-old potential.

Not many people have that proven expertise. Birchley is one who does.

For Ben Thompson, the result was one, big happy welcome to New Zealand.

His superb ride will not have been lost on trainers looking to book a jockey in the upcoming feature races in New Zealand.

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