Racing
Berry has ambitions of ending JMac's premiership dominance
Tommy Berry has revealed how riding regularly against rival James McDonald is making him a better jockey as he continues his quest for an unlikely Sydney premiership.
It's a common theme among sports stars. In rugby league for example, rival half-backs talk about the challenge and need to improve their game when playing against Penrith Panthers superstar Nathan Cleary.
Berry also used a rugby league analogy to highlight how McDonald's presence in the Sydney jockeys room lifts the standards of other riders.
"I've heard a lot of footy players go into Origin camp and when they are training and playing against all the great players it helps to take their game to the next level,'' Berry said.
"I go back to when I was a kid, I had (late twin brother) Nathan, and we were highly competitive.
"Nathan always made me go to new levels to compete with him.
"With James, he has obviously taken all before him and we are very similar people in the way we are very competitive.
"I find riding against James, I know I have to be right on my game because there might only be three days a year he is not.''
Berry has ridden 50 city winners so far this season and is locked in a three-way battle for Sydney premiership honours with perennial champ McDonald (53 wins) and young gun Zac Lloyd (50 wins).
McDonald is aiming for his eighth consecutive Sydney jockey premiership – and a record-equalling 10th overall – and it is almost a taboo subject to suggest any of any of his rivals can wrest the title from his grasp.
"The Sydney premiership is in the back of my mind,'' Berry said.
"It is something I really want to achieve but it has eluded me so far. There was one season (2020-21) when I rode 111 winners but James came out and rode 131.
"I find James brings out the best in me, but so does Zac.
"He is younger than James and I, he can ride lighter than both of us, and he is riding in really good form, too.
"So, there is James riding at his best and then a younger guy like Zac coming through who also keeps you on your toes.
"To win a premiership against the likes of James, you have to be riding well all season.
"If I could win the premiership, it would be right up there with winning any Group 1 race.''
Berry, who has ridden more than 1800 career winners including 40 at Group 1 level, goes to Royal Randwick on Saturday with another very good book of nine rides on the feature 10-race program.
Soul Of Spain, a rank outsider at $201, is on the Sydney Cup trail and isn't suited by the weight-for-age conditions of the Verry Elleegant but Apocalyptic is on the second line of betting at $4 for her showdown with Godolphin filly Tempted ($1.60) in the three-year-old fillies classic.
Tempted goes to Saturday's big race after a brilliant first-up win against the "boys" in the Surround Stakes while Apocalyptic was upset by Savvy Hallie in the Light Fingers Stakes.
"I am a little biased when it comes to Apocalyptic but if she wasn't a $1.50 chance first-up, there would not be as much criticism of her first-up loss,'' Berry said.
"For starters, she is not a 1200m horse, never has been, and although she won over 1200m last preparation it was against a big field, fast pace, and she came right over the top of them.
"Last start, we were on the inside and had to wait for the winner to make her run before she could make hers.
"If you look at all of my filly's wins she needs to build into her races, she hits a bit of a flat spot on the corner then the best part of her races are last furlong (a200m).
"I know my filly will be strong at the end of 1400m but Tempted might be a query. I hope we can get into clear air when we want it as I feel Apocalyptic can make a real race of it.''
Berry is chasing a record-equalling fourth Golden Slipper next month and gets to test the potential of emerging two-year-olds, Hardanger (Group 2 $300,000 Sweet Embrace Stakes, 1200m) and Campione D'Italia (Group 2 $300,000 Skyline Stakes, 1200m).
Hardanger, trained by Michael Freedman, has been placed in both starts while Chris Waller's Campione D'Italia ran last on debut in the Lonhro Plate but is a colt held in high-regard by the stable.
"Hardanger is a lovely filly, very unassuming,'' Berry said. "Her trials are only just ok, she never blows them away, but she comes out of two strong form races.
"She's a nice filly and I think she can be in the finish on Saturday.
"I've ridden Campione D'Itala a bit of work, he is a lovely big, strong colt.
"There is no questioning his ability but a lot of two-year-olds races are won by the most professional horse. He will take a lot of improvement from his first run.''
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