Yellow Brick inspires Wiblen’s training dream

By Jordan Gerrans

A lengthy stint riding Queensland star Yellow Brick in his trackwork helped inspire young Toowoomba horsewoman Bree Wiblen on her own training journey.

The 26-year-old Wiblen has an extensive background in the showjumping area, while also riding trackwork for an array of Darling Downs conditioners in recent times.

Over the last few years, Wiblen has dabbled in her own training pursuits and nabbed her maiden winner on Saturday evening at Clifford Park under lights.

While the emerging conditioner only prepares a small team of three in the infancy of her training journey, she can date her motivation back to her early days with top galloper Yellow Brick.

“I rode Yellow Brick for about three-and-a-half years at the start of his career,” the passionate horsewoman said.

“He was very, very special to me. The Sears family were great with the opportunities I got with him.

“That's probably what really got me into it, just knowing him inside and out.

“When he won the first big race that he won, the King of the Mountain, that was so exciting to be a part of that.

“The Sears family were so good to let me experience all those things. That really got a foot in the door for me, meeting his owners and all that.

“Just seeing that side of it was really, really cool and it was helpful for where I am now.”

Yellow Brick has raced in elite-level company for the training team of Tony and Maddysen Sears over the last few years.

The gelding broke his maiden status at Ipswich in May of 2022.

In similar circumstances, Wiblen and her pride and joy I Drove All Night broke through together at Toowoomba on Saturday evening in a 1920 metre staying test.

While I Drove All Night is unlikely to rise to the heights that Yellow Brick has achieved, the four-year-old will always be a special galloper to his trainer after handing her the first win of her training tenure.

I Drove All Night was previously prepared by Paul Nolan (Jnr), for whom Wiblen often rides trackwork.

The veteran trainer suggested Wiblen take on the son of Better Than Ready and the rest is history.

Top Toowoomba hoop Les ‘Bubba’ Tilley steered I Drove All Night to victory on Saturday with plenty of Wiblen’s friends and family, including partner and jockey Jake Molloy, there to celebrate the occasion.

“It was a very special moment,” Wiblen said.

“He's a tough little horse. When I rode him work for Paul, I thought this will make a nice horse over some distance.

“It was an incredible feeling to see him win.

“Bubba actually smiling in the photos is him hearing me scream as he comes past the post.

“My Dad was there, which was good to have. My farrier was in the photos. I love my farrier.

“He's a great farrier. And, a few other friends were there, as well as Bubba, so it was good for him to give me my first winner.”

Wiblen’s partner Molloy has taken a step back from race riding in recent times as he has battled with his weight.

Molloy has long been considered a city-quality rider, but has had weight troubles throughout his riding tenure.

He is still riding trackwork at Toowoomba, however.

Wiblen says Molloy’s racing industry experience has been key in the way she prepares her stable.

“He's been a big help, as well, it’s been good,” she said.

“I am learning because I've just really ridden trackwork. I never really took into mind what the races mean for what horse.

“So, he's taught me a lot in that department. 

"Just asking questions from other well-known trainers, like what they feed and realising what work they do and what they feed is very important.

“But, every trainer's different, just learning all different types of training methods, because each horse is different.

“So, we have got to keep an open mind and not just be set in a straight line.

“I have wanted to have Jake ride my horses in races if he could.”

The Toowoomba-based Wiblen first started a galloper under her own name in December 2024, with I Drove All Night becoming her 17th starter before she finally broke through.

As a trackwork rider, Wiblen has worked for the Sears stable, Nolan (Jnr), Tom Button, Natalie McCall and Lindsay Hatch, while currently working for Troy Pascoe.

Wiblen has competed at a high level in the showjumping arena and worked for Olympian Katie Laurie.

In her early days in racing, she considered following the path of an apprentice jockey, but believes she has found the right balance with her training and showjumping interests.

“I've really taken a liking to the racing side of it. It's way better prizemoney than the showjumping,” Wiblen said.

“I've just taken this path really to get ahead in life. I've always loved the horses, so I definitely wanted to do something with the horses, but the jumping just wasn't going to cut it.

“I've invested pretty much my whole life into the jumping and my horses and working my way up.

“I've always jumped since I was a little girl.”

Molloy and Wiblen have a 10-acre property just outside of Toowoomba at Westbrook where they are in the process of setting up a spelling and pre-training facility.

I Drove All Night is likely to be at Toowoomba in the coming weeks as he searches for a second career win while stablemate One More Thing is heading to Warwick for his next assignment.