Tommy Berry won’t be wasting time in Cup
Tommy Berry learned a lesson the last time he rode in the Melbourne Cup.
The leading Sydney jockey finished fourth aboard Trip To Paris last year in a race that was run at a slow pace.
There won’t be any loafing this year if Berry has his way on Japanese stayer Curren Mirotic.
“The Japanese have been a bit frustrated over the last few years that the Melbourne Cup seems to be getting run slower and slower,” Berry said.
“It’s very frustrating for them when they have brought a few horses out that get back.
“They have found a horse this year that races up on the pace and if the pace isn’t there to suit us, we’ll make it suit us.”
Berry took Curren Mirotic for a gallop at Werribee on Friday, and while the work-out didn’t look too impressive, the jockey said it was a short and sharp.
“He worked over a mile on Monday morning and he left his partner by five lengths but this morning it was a lot sharper work,” he said.
“It was over 1000 metres and he had a tracker on him and it got him running 34 (seconds) for the last 600 metres.
“He is a pretty laid-back type and the good thing about him is that his heart rate came straight back down a couple of minutes after he worked.”
Despite posting his last win almost three years ago, Berry pinpointed Curren Mirotic as a potential Melbourne Cup mount after he was narrowly beaten in the Tenno Sho at Kyoto in May.
Berry rode him in Japan in June when he finished down the track before Curren Mirotic finished ninth in a lead-up race at Nakayama over 2200m in September under a local jockey.
“The reason I took him was because of that run in the Tenno Sho,” Berry said.
“His two runs since look disappointing but they have been on unsuitable tracks and 2200 metres is well short of his best.”
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