Craig Kerry
Tommy Berry is backing the on-speed toughness of Ninja to overcome an awkward draw as the champion jockey looks to repeat the heroics of 2019 winner Pierata in the $3 million Russell Balding Stakes (1300m) at Randwick.
Michael Freedman-trained Ninja drew gate 13, which was 12 of 15 on Thursday with emergencies out.
Berry had the luxury of barrier three with Ninja last start in the $20 million The Everest (1200m) two weeks ago when the four-year-old sat behind the lead pair before finishing fifth, one and a half lengths off winner Tempted.
He hoped to get the gelding forward again on Saturday in the Russell Balding, which was named after the previous year’s Everest winner when Berry won it in 2019 with Pierata. Berry took Pierata forward from gate 11 on that occasion to sit three wide behind the leaders before he lifted for a one-length win.
He was confident Ninja could be in the first four or five in the run on Saturday and produce his best.
“He rode the speed, which I thought was pretty hot on the day, but not as hot as what the times suggested, and him and Tempted were the only two who were on the speed that were left there at the end, and he was still strong through the line,” Berry said of the Everest effort.
“He just had a horse three wide outside of him, and he just kept him honest the whole way, and I wasn’t able to flow into the race when I would have liked.
“We know he’s got a really high cruising speed and when he’s won his races, he’s in front at the 300. He likes to sustain a good gallop.”
Ninja was a $5 TAB chance, behind Jimmysstar ($4), which has gate 16, and Headwall ($4.20), which has barrier three. Berry hoped to gain a handy spot behind the likes of Marhoona, Coal Crusher and Caballus.
“It’s a nice race for him,” he said.
“Obviously he’s drawn a bit awkward, he’s going to need a bit of luck from there, but he’ll put himself on speed. It’s probably a worse gate for a horse like Jimmysstar, who is going to get back. He’s probably going to spot us a space.
“The winner of the barrier draw was Headwall, but 1300 is a query for him, so drawing well was pretty pivotal for him.
“We’ll definitely go forward. We tried to ride him quite once, in his start before the Everest, and even though he ran really well, he’s definitely better suited on speed.
“There’s a bit of speed there, so hopefully that opens it up for us.”
Ninja, a first-up winner of the group 2 Missile Stakes (1200m) then ninth in The Shorts (1100m), was in calculations for Saturday’s 1500m $10 million Golden Eagle but Freedman and connections MyRacehorse opted for the shorter, open class assignment.
“It might have been in the back of their minds at some point and it definitely would have been going into his last campaign when we had him the Randwick Guineas, but we wanted to treat him like a sprinter and since we’ve done that, I think his form’s pretty good,” Berry said of the Golden Eagle.
“I think the 1300-1400m is probably his optimum trip and I doubt he would run a strong 1500 in a high-pressure race, especially at Randwick.”
Berry, Freedman and MyRacehorse do combine in the Golden Eagle with Silver Eagle winner Apocalyptic ($19), which had her hopes dented when drawing the outside.
“I was so disappointed,” Berry said of the draw.
“It makes it very tricky. She’s not a get back and run on horse, and she’s not a heavy on-speed horse either, so it couldn’t have worked out any worse. It’s going to very tough for her, especially when you’ve got horses like Autumn Boy and Sheza Alibi drawn four to six.
“I always think that when you draw bad barriers, you need a horse that’s superior to the rest of the field, and she’s not, so she’s going to need a lot of luck.”
Berry’s other feature race is Chris Waller-trained Travolta ($19) in the listed $750,000 Sydney Gold Cup. The pair was less than three lengths away in fifth in the group 2 Chelmsford Stakes two starts ago.
“He’s going really well,” he said.
“He’s been in tough races this campaign and hasn’t shirked his task. He’s drawn nice enough and he’ll definitely make his presence felt.”
Berry and Waller combine with Soul Of Spain ($51) in Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup.
“His 3200m form is good,” Berry said.
“It was just too keen in a slow-run Caulfield Cup and took off early, and I thought he did a good job to stick on for seventh. He’s going well.”
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