In-form jockey Tommy Berry will team up the Hawkes Racing Stable again after receiving a late call up to ride Lake Geneva in the Group 3 $500,000 Girvan Waugh Percy Sykes Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on Saturday.
Tommy Berry will be the new rider for Lake Geneva in the Percy Sykes Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.
Berry was originally booked to ride Perignon but trainer Gerald Ryan was forced to scratch the Snitzel filly from Day Two of ‘The Championships’ after she sustained a tendon injury.
Then the ride on Lake Geneva became available when champion English jockey Ryan Moore informed connections the he would be unable to get down to the 54kg that the Fastnet Rock filly was allocated under the set weights and penalties conditions.
Even though Lake Geneva is yet to win a race, she is the firm $2.80 favourite for the Percy Sykes Stakes with Ladbrokes.com.au on the back of two Group 1 placings from only three starts.
Lake Geneva was narrowly beaten on debut when second to Fireworks in the Group 3 $150,000 Widden Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill on January 31 and then ran a mighty race when third to Pride Of Dubai in the Group 1 $1m Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on February 28.
Team Hawkes then took the filly back to Sydney where she was in the minor prizemoney again when third to the Gai Waterhouse trained Vancouver in the Group 1 $3.5m Tooheys New Golden Slipper Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill on March 21.
Top Melbourne jockey Dwayne Dunn was on board Lake Genevaa in the Golden Slipper Stakes and said the filly put in a super effort.
“Super run. She just got held up at a vital stage at the top of the running. But she has run out of her skin.,” Dunn said.
Berry has been doing a lot of riding for John, Wayne and Michael Hawkes of late and combined with them to take out the Group 1 $2.5m Darley T J Smith Stakes (1200m) on Chautauqua at the postponed Day One of ‘The Championships’ last Monday at Randwick .
Chautauqua proved to be the superior sprinter in the wet conditions when Berry brought the grey from last to nail Lord Of The Sky in the last couple of strides to score a narrow win.
Percy Sykes Stakes market order at Ladbrokes.com.au: $2.80 Lake Geneva, $5 Serenade, $6 Calaverite, $6.50 Sempre Libera, $7 Ottoman, $15 Mine Two, Denpurr, $19 Cartier Rock.
