Star sprinter Caballus is the headline act drawing Tommy Berry north to Brisbane this weekend, but the jockey is equally excited to assess the Magic Millions potential of a blueblood colt.
Berry was eager to reunite with the Bjorn Baker-trained Caballus, who he steered to a stakes victory at Flemington two starts back before the gelding finished unplaced behind Giga Kick on a quick turnaround into the Champions Sprint.
Freshened since that assignment, Caballus is expected to perform strongly in Saturday’s George Moore Stakes (1200m), although Berry acknowledged the presence of a major threat he knows well — Hidden Wealth.
“The team is very happy with him at home, and I was rapt with him on Derby Day,” Berry said of Caballus.
“He is the quality horse in the race, but I’m fully aware of what Hidden Wealth can do after winning the QTIS Magic Millions race on him last year. I’ve won three out of five rides on him, so I know how good he is, and he’s drawn the plum gate in one.
“We’ve got to overcome a tricky alley but he’s a class horse and hopefully class can overcome that.”
Berry is also enthusiastic about Snitska, a Chris Waller-trained son of Snitzel out of dual Group winner Miss Siska who cost $620,000 as a Magic Millions yearling.
The colt debuts in the Phelan Ready (1110m) and has performed stylishly in two Gold Coast trials, with positive feedback coming from the stable.
“He looks readymade when it comes to a two-year-old,” Berry said.
“He has a lovely cruising speed, and I know the team has a good opinion of him.”
Among Berry’s seven rides is Sylph for Michael Freedman in the Mode Stakes (1200m). The lightly raced filly heads to Queensland after a second at Canterbury first-up, a run in which she hit a flat spot before rallying again late.
Berry believes she has untapped talent and is close to breaking through.
“If she turns up showing us what she has shown us at home, and not so much what she has shown at the races thus far, she will be right in it,” he said.
Punters can compare odds for Caballus, Snitska and Sylph at Australia’s top betting sites.
