Berry ready to launch into Spring after “best season by far” | The Sporting Base
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Berry ready to launch into Spring after “best season by far”

July 23, 2021

Berry ready to launch into Spring after “best season by far”

Champion jockey Tommy Berry is ready to hit the ground running approaching the Spring Carnival after his most successful season to date. Berry has so far ridden 111 city winners which included five Group 1’s, most notably the Golden Slipper aboard Stay Inside.

Berry has had his career best season and remarkably won’t win the Sydney Metro premiership with James McDonald displaying his dominance in one of the strongest jockey’s rooms in the world with 127 winners to his name.

“Most years if you ride 100 winners or more you win a premiership but it just shows you how strong the Sydney ranks are with James (McDonald), I think he’s up to 127.

“It’s been my best season by far, just obviously not with the Group 1’s, I think I’ve had bigger seasons with Group 1’s, one year there where I rode 7 (2015/16) but as a year as a whole I’m up to about 111 city winners for the season which is massive.

“I think I ride for more trainers than any other jockey out there, I’ve got a wide range of support and I think that’s been the key in the backbone to my success,” said Berry.

One stable he often rides for is the Hawkes team and with Wayne Hawkes coming out in recent weeks blasting speed maps, Berry has given his opinion on the matter. 

“I definitely do speed maps, I don’t do them so much when I ride for the Hawkes’ as I know their feelings for speed maps.

Berry also commented “In Sydney racing you know most of the horses and most of the jockeys so you have a good idea where they’re going to be anyway.”

With the recent New South Wales COVID-19 outbreak many top jockeys including Berry have opted to ride through the Winter when they would usually go for a short freshen up ahead of the Spring. 

“I wanted to have two weeks off but with lockdown there is no real point of that, it would be two weeks off with the kids at home and they’d probably drive me mad after three or four days.

“I don’t really like holidays too much, five or six days for me is perfect,” said Berry.

Another deterrent keeping Berry around is the big names filtering back into the stables, especially ones that he’s had successful partnerships with. 

“Horses like Stay Inside, Mo’unga, Four Moves Ahead and Remarque are all back at the trials now.

“The Spring is coming up very fast so I’ll just keep ticking along, might have a couple of weeks where I only ride Wednesday and Saturday, then full bore ahead to the Spring,” said Berry.



With the Spring only a few months away the star jockeys of Sydney will have decide where to place themselves with travel between Melbourne and Sydney difficult due border restrictions. 

Last year the likes of Hugh Bowman, James McDonald, Kerrin McEvoy and Glen Boss all quarantined to ride in Melbourne and it’s not something Berry would be prepared to do with all the great racing on offer in Sydney during the Spring. 

“Horses like Remarque and Stay Inside heading towards a Golden Rose or Everest, same with Masked Crusader. You’ve got Mo’unga there who can run in an Epsom or a Cox Plate or even a Golden Eagle.

“I’d say if the lockdown stays as is it’d probably be Mo’unga, Stay Inside they’re the two horses towards an Everest and a Golden Eagle, they’re the two biggest races in Sydney,” said Berry. 

Both The Everest and Golden Eagle have been recent additions to the Sydney Spring Carnival and have both grown to become massive races and are a great addition to the calendar for all racing participants. 

Another race that has just recently been brought to the table is the new $2m ‘The Invitation’ for fillies and mares over 1400m to be run at Randwick on Cox Plate Day. 

Berry has thrown his support behind the new concept and applauded the efforts of Peter V’landys, Racing NSW and the ATC. 

“It’s great, any new race that Peter V’landys, Racing NSW and the ATC have introduced to the participants here in New South Wales has been amazing.” 

“It’s going to be a very strong race, a horse that really sprung to mind for me was Forbidden Love. She’s going to be a perfect horse for that sort of race.” 

“There’s a lot of nice races for fillies and mares around but none with that sort of prize money,” said Berry.


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Berry has a nice book of rides tomorrow at Rosehill including some nice chances in the feature races.

In the first he rides Two-year-old colt Military Expert for Annabel Neasham.

“I think he’s better than a winter time two-year-old race. He’s an exciting colt, we’ve always had a lot of time for him as he’s taken a little while to mature.

“It’s going to be tricky from the gate but I think he has the class to overcome that.

“He could contest a couple of stakes races I think he’s that good.”

In the feature July Sprint he rides seasoned sprinter Trumbull for Kim Waugh.

“He deserves to carry 60kg but he will give himself every chance and definitely be in the finish.” 

And finally in the Winter Challenge he rides $17 shot Military Zone for Peter and Paul Snowden

“A horse that is struggling to find dry tracks. 

“I’ve ridden him at home and he’s worked quite well.

“On a dry track he definitely won’t be out of place in that field.”


Quick Fire Questions

  • Best horse you’ve ridden: Chautauqua or Winx 

  • Most memorable win: 2014 Sydney Cup aboard The Offer

  • Favourite racecourse to ride on: Tokyo

  • Most annoying jockey in the jockeys room: Regan Bayliss

  • Trainer that gives the biggest spray: John Hawkes

  • Go to cheat meal: Chicken Parmigiana

  • Favourite sport away from racing: NRL (Canberra Raiders)

  • The Everest or Melbourne Cup: Melbourne Cup

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