Top Sydney jockey Tommy Berry is very excited to be riding the speedy Deep Field in the Group 3 $150,000 Smooth FM Maurice McCarten Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday.
Tommy Berry is excited to be riding Deep Field, above, in the Maurice McCarten Stakes at Rosehill. Photo by Sarah Ebbett.
Berry will be the fifth jockey to partner Deep Field who has only been to the races on six occasions for five wins and a last start third to Lankan Rupee in the Group 1 $500,000 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m) at Flemington on February 21.
James Winks was aboard Deep Field at Flemington and was the first jockey to be headed on the speedster who sat behind Fab Favola in the Black Caviar Lightning before being down by Lankan Rupee and Brazen Beau.
Melbourne jockey Dwayne Dunn has had three rides on the four year old for three wins, including a victory in the Group 2 $300,000 tab.com.au Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on November 1.
James McDonlad and Brenton Avdulla have also collected a winning cheque on the Team Hawkes trained sprinter.
“Good horses are easy to ride, I guess you can say, and I am excited to have the chance to ride Deep Filed at Rosehill,” Berry wrote in his Sportsman column today.
“I’ve watched plenty of him and he’s potentially in the top three or four sprinters in the world.”
Deep Field usually has no trouble finding the lead but Berry will have some thinking to do in the early stages coming up against speed horses I’m All The Talk and Kencella.
“It’s going to be interesting, though, because there is a lot of pace in the race with I’m All The Talk and Kencella,” Berry wrote.
“Deep Field is a natural leader but if we went out trying to lead them we might bring ourselves undone. I’ll talk to the Hawkes stable and see what they have to say.”
“I’ve drawn the barrier to dictate to them and it helps when you are on the best horse.”
Deep Field has drawn barrier four in the eight horse field while I’m All The Talk came up with gate six and Kencella will jump from the outside of the small field.
Even though Deep Field has won and been placed down the Flemington straight in top company, Berry believes the Northern Meteor stallion is better suited racing the Sydney way of going around a bend.
“Coming back to Sydney and around a bend is a big plus,” Berry wrote.
“Even when he won the Group 2 down the straight in the Spring he didn’t look comfortable so I think we will see the best of him.”
Bookmakers have no doubt that Deep Field is the best horse in the Maurice McCarten Stakes and is the current short priced favourite at $1.40.
Target In Sight from the Joe Pride stable is the second pick at $4.80 in front of I’m All The Talk at $10 while Kencella is marked as a $21 chance.
