Ten months ago Tommy Berry filled in for Glyn Schofield on lightly-raced juvenile Manawanui and labelled the gelding one of the best horses he had ridden in his short career.
On Saturday the 21-year-old jockey is confident the same horse can land him his first Group One victory in the $500,000 Randwick Guineas.
“What you saw today is nothing compared to what he’s got,” Berry said of Manawanui after his win at Canterbury on May 7 last year.
“It’s going to be interesting and exciting to see how good he’s going to be.”
Berry, who has won the past two Magic Millions Classics, has since watched on as Manawanui has won more than $1.3 million prizemoney including a victory at racing’s elite level in the Group One Golden Rose.
With his regular jockey Schofield suspended for Saturday’s Group One Randwick Guineas, Berry, has again been given the call-up to partner the highly-talented Ron Leemon-trained three-year-old.
“I’m confident he’ll win,” Berry said.
“You’ve got to kind of show that confidence heading into a Group One race. I think he’s going to be the best horse in the race and depending on the draw, hopefully he gets the best run.
“Group Ones are just different. The Magic Millions wins have been great but they are not a Group One. It would be very special to do it and it would be good to do it on this horse for the owners.”
Schofield had two meetings shaved off a nine meeting careless riding suspension on appeal on Friday but it wasn’t enough to free him to ride on Guineas day.
Schofield was suspended for interference in the final 50m of the Hobartville Stakes aboard Manawanui and also lost the race to Nash Rawiller and Wild And Proud on protest.
Berry has also partnered Manawanui first-up this campaign to an unlucky second in the Royal Sovereign Stakes when Schofield was unavailable due to commitments with Hay List.
“I was always quietly confident that I would probably be back on him if Glyn couldn’t ride him because the owners and Ron have always said so,” Berry said.
“But just for them to say I’m on him in the Guineas was a big relief and it’s really exciting.
“It’s his third run of the preparation and that’s when he usually fires. Glyn galloped him on Saturday and said it was the best work he’s ever done.
“That’s very encouraging.”
Berry will gallop Manawanui at Warwick Farm on Tuesday morning in his final hit-out ahead of Saturday’s $500,000 event over 1600m.
The Guineas is expected to attract a bumper list of nominations on Monday including Australian Guineas winner Mosheen and runner-up Strike The Stars, Spring Champion Stakes winner Doctor Doom and the Gai Waterhouse-trained pair of Laser Hawk and Wild And Proud.
Peter Snowden could have four runners while Peter Moody will have Moment Of Change who has finished third in both the Royal Sovereign and Hobartville Stakes.
AAP TURF
