It’s a racing fairytale.
A small Ballarat based trainer with just 10 horses in his stable, heads to Flemington and beats the big boys to win the VRC Oaks.
What makes it even more incredible is Tom Carberry’s Strictly Business only won her maiden at Ballarat 13 days ago.
On Thursday afternoon, she won a Group 1 in devastating fashion, not to mention a cool $1 million in prize money.
“It’s an incredible journey, racing, and I think everybody’s proud of it. You meet people here today and they’re legends and to think you can do it, it’s great,” Carberry said post-race.
“She’s a filly on the up. We had this race in mind for a long time. She missed a run at Geelong and we were put on the back foot a bit, but we found a race that suited Johnny and us at Ballarat a couple of weeks ago and she came through that so well we decided to take our chance in the Wakeful because she’s that type of horse. Today came on the radar because she ran so well there. She looked like she needed the two thousand five hundred metre trip and that was what happened.”
“2,500 metres, who else would you want on other than Johnny Allen, especially at Flemington.”
Carberry said they knew after her maiden win that he had a special horse.
“We just looked at her as a horse for the future. She just did things that day that were not normal. It takes a really good horse to do what she did, even in her maiden,” he said.
“It just put the Wakeful on the radar. It became possible after she ran so well, she needed a trip to show her best.”
“I think I’m very, very lucky. John Allen and Declan Bates have been such a great help to me in my business. They always help me and give me good advice. That said, John Allen doesn’t give you advice because that’s not his thing. His thing is to ride the horse, and he just does that so well.”
It tops a big week for Ballarat trainers after the McEvoys’ Melbourne Cup win.
“Ballarat is a happening place, winning the Melbourne Cup for the McEvoys and we’re very happy with this result today,” he said.
Remember the name 🌟
STRICTLY BUSINESS does the business to take out the Crown Oaks on #OaksDay for John Allen and Thomas Carberry.
🎥 @wwos | #OaksDay | #MelbCupCarnival pic.twitter.com/7sdRggNdQH
— Victoria Racing Club (@FlemingtonVRC) November 6, 2025
Carberry told Betsy on Wednesday that heading to Flemington instead of a country track was a treat for his team.
“It’s a bit different to going to Ballarat on a Tuesday so it is a pinch yourself moment for me, my wife Monique and Martin Falvey who bred the filly and his friends that are in her.”
“It’s why you do it, for a chance to be a part of the spring carnival.”
“We watch it every year and enjoy it so to be a part of it with a live chance in a Group 1, it’s fantastic.”
“Races are races and you have to look at it that way because you’re taking on the top stables and the best horses.”
