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By Ray Hickson

Jockey Tommy Berry says if there’s a TAB Everest trophy sitting in his cabinet at home at the end of the year it’d be a fitting reward for the work he's put in to regain the faith of the racing community.

Tommy Berry (Pic: Bradley Photos)

It’s been just over a year since Berry returned from a well publicised disqualification, that saw him on the sidelines for most of 2023 and one that changed his outlook on life.

While the 33-year-old has always been one of the most popular and personable jockeys in Sydney he said, as he prepares to ride Sunshine In Paris in Saturday’s $20 million Group 1 sprint, he had some doubts about the level of support he’d receive.

“It's been a great team effort with my manager Paul Joice, my family and the trainers that have supported me since I got back,’’ Berry said.

“I felt like I haven’t lost any support and maybe gained some.

“I feel good and I feel like it’s showing in my riding and the way I prepare and turn up.

“It’d be nice to have something like that trophy on the mantelpiece at the end of the year to show off all the hard work I have put in.

“If it’s not meant to be then it’s not but I know I’ll work hard for it going forward, whether I get it this year or not.”

Berry has a record of two placings, a third on Osborne Bulls in 2018 and a close second on Masked Crusader in 2021, from five TAB Everest rides.

Interestingly, he partnered Sunshine In Paris in her first three barrier trials back in 2022 but he’s one from one on race day after the mare’s brilliant first-up win in the Group 2 Sheraco Stakes (1200m) five weeks ago.

It’s the same race the Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald-trained five-year-old won a year ago that earned her an Everest slot before injury put her on the sidelines. But her owner John Camilleri’s Fairway Thoroughbreds this year purchased the Aquis slot so her path has always been focused on the TAB Everest.

“It’s been nice having that slot, nice having a horse that performs at her best fresh and seeing a lot of the other guys in the boxing ring a few times while she’s been at home enjoying herself,’’ Berry said.

“She’s tracking very well, her trial suggested to me the other day that she was bang on where we wanted her.

“It was there at the right time and I got a great feel of her there.

“I don’t think I’ve had a horse going into a race so well. She’s had a perfect preparation, she hasn’t had any setbacks at all where last year she had. I just feel like she’s peaking at the right time.”

In an ideal world Berry said Sunshine In Paris would draw inside barrier eight in Tuesday’s night’s all important draw but if it’s not the case it’s not the end of her chances.

What he says his mount has going for her is versatility and that’s something you need to win the world’s richest race on turf.

“She’s very adaptable, there’s nothing not to like about her,’’ he said.

“She’s handled wet ground before, she’s very good on dry ground. You can ride her a bit closer like we did the other day when she won or she can come from back.

“She can adapt to most things where there’s a few horses in the race that have to have things go their way at the barrier draw.”

Dubbo trained gelding Elson Boy is Berry’s mount in the $2 million The Kosciuszko (1200m) and he’s also protecting an unbeaten record from one ride on the tough country galloper.

That was in the WRA Country Championships at Coonamble back in March where Elson Boy outgunned subsequent Country Championships Final runner-up, and Kosciuszko rival, Gallant Star.

Sunshine In Paris wins the Sheraco Stakes

He’s won four more races for trainer Dar Lunn since then, including two at metro level, and Berry said there was merit in what he saw from the horse’s lead up at Randwick two weeks ago.

“I thought he was very good the other day. He was running back over their backs going across the line,’’ he said.

“He’s a tough honest horse, he’ll put his best foot forward.

“He loves racing on speed which is good for him, and there’s a lot of on speed runners that can’t handle pressure but he handles pressure well.

“We’re under no illusion that it’s going to be hard race to win when you’ve got a horse like Front Page in it but I’m going to be up there right where he is and if he can handle the pressure as well as we can then he’ll be the winner.”

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