Darley trainer Peter Snowden was honoured to win the race named after Nathan Berry with his Australian Derby bound Gallatin taking out the Group 2 $175,000 Nathan Berry Tulloch Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill today.
Gallatin wins the Nathan Berry Tulloch Stakes at Rosehill. Photo by Steve Hart
The Australian Turf Club was quick to rename the Tulloch Stakes to honour Nathan Berry after the twenty-three year old passed away during the week in a Sydney hospital after contracting NORSE syndrome while riding in Singapore.
“It means a lot you know. He was a great kid and it’s good to win a race in his name, it means a hell of a lot today,” Snowden said.
Gallatni was sent out at the huge odds of $26 following some ordinary midweek form but Snowden said that the Street Cry gelding had always shown plenty of potential and is now a chance to line up in the Group 1 $2m BMW Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick next week.
“He has always shown a lot. He has been very immature. Him doing that today has been on the cards for quite a while,” Snowden said.
“It’s just been a matter of waiting for it to happen.”
Snowden was a bit surprised to see Gallatin well behind the second last horse in the early stages but Nash Rawiller knew what he was doing.
“Nash rode a very patience race, just leave him alone, but he was about eight lengths behind the second last horse at one stage, I thought Nash had gone to sleep on him.”
“He picked up at the half mile and he really started to travel very strongly and he was clipping heels back in the tail of the field and it was just a matter of threading his way through the field.”
“At the two hundred metres mark I could see him just smoking and he made up a lot of ground really quickly.”
Snowden said that a run in the Australian Derby was a possibility and he will make a decision after he sees how Gallatin pulls up over the weekend.
Gallatin was still last on the home turn but Rawiller was able to weave his way through the field to score by a neck from Singing Flame ($8.50) who was left in front at the top of the straight with Best Case (($9) also making up ground in the straight.
The $5 favourite Atlante set the pace but faded in the straight to finish in twelfth position, eleven and three quarter lengths from the winner.
