Tommy Berry has regained the mount on the Gai Waterhouse trained Glencadam Gold and will have his first ride in the Group 1 $6m Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington next Tuesday.
Tommy Berry will partner Glencadam Gold again, this time in his first Melbourne Cup. Photo by: Steve Hart.
Waterhouse’s number two stable rider was dumped from the import after winning the Group 1 $400,000 McGrath Estate Agents Metropolitan (2400m) at Randwick on October 6 with veteran rider Jim Cassidy taking the mount in the Group 1 $2.5m BMW Caulfield Cup (2400m) at Caulfield October 20.
Cassidy was out of luck on the Caulfield Cup favourite and after crossing the field from barrier seventeen, Glencadam Gold never really travelled like a winner and started to wilt at the 800m.
But Berry is ecstatic to be having his first ride in the Melbourne Cup, saying it is a dream come true.
“My first dream was to be a competitive city rider and I’ve accomplished that. The next dream I had was to be a Group I winning rider and I’ve done that. Then it was to ride in the Melbourne Cup, which is every jockey’s dream,” Berry said.
Berry had shared the riding honours on Glencadam Gold with Nash Rawiller with his four wins for the Waterhouse stable after arriving from England but got the nod in the Metropolitan when Rawiller couldn’t make the 53kg.
But he took his dumping for the Caulfield Cup in his stride, knowing that he would still be in contention in the future with the backing of the huge Waterhouse stable.
“Just leaving myself in Gai’s hands has always been the right decision and it has once again here,” Berry said.
“Gai has always looked after me. People don’t see the little things she does behind the scenes.”
“I’m not sure what happened to him last start but he’s obviously come through it well. I’ve always had a lot of time for him.”
“He’s a very good horse and he wouldn’t be the first one to get beaten at his Caulfield debut before bouncing back at Flemington.”
Berry’s career has really taken off this season with the young jockey riding his first Group 1 winner on the Peter Snowden trained Epaulette in the Group 1 $1m Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on September 15.
And he quickly followed that up with a Group 1 double for Waterhouse at Randwick on Epsom Day leading all the way on Fat Al in the $500,000 The Star Epsom (1600m) and then used the same tactics on Glencadam Gold in the Metropolitan.
Berry will be aboard Glencadam Gold on Saturday at Flemington when the five year old has his final Melbourne Cup hit out in the Group 3 $250,000 The Lexus Stakes (2500m).
Glencadam Gold has blown out to $51 for the Melbourne Cup following his lacklustre performance in the Caulfield Cup after being one of the fancied runners a couple weeks ago.
The 2010 Melbourne Cup winner Americain has shot to the head of betting at $6 to win his second Cup with Caulfield – Melbourne Cup winner Dunaden being relegated to second favourite at $6.50.
The Luca Cumani trained Mount Athos remains on the third line of betting at $9.50 with Maluckyday and last year’s runner-up Red Cadeaux at $11.
