Tommy Berry heads to Hong Kong in two months to be John Moore’s stable rider for the 2017/18 season but the meantime Berry continues to do what Berry is very good at, riding winners, with the latest the Kris Lees trained Just Dreaming in the $100,000, Australian Turf Club Bm 73 Handicap (1400m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
The three-year-old Snitzel filly is fashioning a good record and from eight starts she has now won four, the last two in succession, and placed second twice and fourth once for stake of $222,700.
On Saturday Berry kept her in second as the $2.40 Bluebet.com.au favourite Arbeitsam and apprentice Rachel King went out to a long lead, 3L at the 600m, preferring to wait for the pointy end of the race before sending Just Dreaming forward.
He did just that with 300m to run and the filly kept a bay a line of challengers for the rest of the trip to the line in a strong performance of merit.
The winning margin was a head to Insensata (Beneteau) (56kg) and Kathy O’Hara with High Mist (High Chaparral) (59.5kg) and Hugh Bowman third with the margin a short neck. Faraway Town was fourth while Arbeitson faded to last.
The time was 1.24.24 on the Heavy 8 track with the final 600m in 36.38. Just Dreaming paid $8.20 on fixed odds with Bluebet.com.au and $8.20 on the tote.
Just Dreaming and Berry (tartan) keep out High Mist and Hugh Bowman (cerise) and Insensata and Kathy O'Hara, picture Sportpix.com.au
“A real tough win, a tearaway leader which sets it up for every horse in the race. She had to take the pack up to the leader so they are always vulnerable in that situation. She is a race fit filly, I came here thinking she would handle the ground as she trialled well on soft ground at the start of her preparation, a real tradesman like filly,” said Lees.
“She is genuine stakes company at the right time of the year and she is putting together a real good record at this stage. When they put themselves on the speed they just take the bad luck out of play. In her last two starts at the 50m I thought they were going to beat her, but then even past the post you know they are not going to get to her. A real good sign,” he said.
Lees suggested that there might be a further run for Just Dreaming before the end of this season.
“I have had three rides on her for three wins now so I know her really well and every time she has always been tough and likes to do it the hard way,” said Berry.
Just Dreaming, out of the Commands mare Royal Commands, is owned by Mrs JM Wanless.
The third place for Bowman took the stakes his runners have earned in Sydney this season to over the $10 million mark with the champion mare Winx helping to reach that tally.
The Pro Rate ATC Membership On Sale Bm 85 Sprint (1200m) for fillies and mares later in the programme produced a close finish after a good charge at the line.
At the line Bjorn Baker’s Test The World (Testa Rosa) under Jason Collett kept the rest at bay with the margin a short half-head over Foreign Affair (Econsul) and Brenton Avdulla with a nose to Upscale (Exceed And Excel) and Hugh Bowman.
Test The World was winning for the fourth time in succession in this campaign which began back in April 23rd with Saturday’s win taking her stakes to $230,200 for the Ontrack Thoroughbreds syndicate group.
