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By Ray Hickson

Jockey Tommy Berry has been excited with the amount of improvement Zougotcha has since her Group 1 close call first-up he can only hope stablemate Fangirl hasn’t improved as much as they clash again at Randwick on Saturday.

Tommy Berry (Pic: Steve Hart)

Zougotcha finished just under half a length ahead of Fangirl in the Winx Stakes and as they step up in distance in the $1 million 7+ Sport Stakes (1600m) he says there’s not a lot of margin for error.

Berry said her recent tickover trial and the glimpses he had of the five-year-old at trackwork this week tell him she’s a very happy horse.

“She felt like she was ready to be shot out of a cannon I just had to keep her wrapped up,’’ Berry said of her trial.

“I’m very pleased with her, I saw her at trackwork on Thursday and she looks a million dollars.”

Zougotcha, $4.20 with TAB on Friday, looked to have the Winx won only for Via Sistina to snatch it from her on the line and while Berry felt the result was a bit cruel he was rapt with the performance.

“It hurt a little bit, she felt like she was home from the turn onwards,’’ he said.

“The only time I felt like I got beaten was the last stride. It was a massive effort by her.

“There looks to be a little more speed in the race which will suit her and she’s drawn well so she’s going to get every chance.”

Another thing Berry knows about how the $1 million mile will be run is that Fangirl will be somewhere behind him.

While Zougotcha is a two-time Group 1 winner over the 1600m, of the Flight Stakes two years ago and the Queen Of The Turf earlier this year, Berry is wary that Fangirl is the more established miler.

“Over the mile she’s probably going to be the stronger one at the end, I don’t think there will be much between them at the finish and just hopefully it goes her way,’’ Berry said.

“There might be an opportunity for us to get a bit of cover in the one-one, Fangirl is very good but she’s going to have to be ridden quiet which is her pattern and she’s going to be spotting us a few lengths.”

Lazzura got more than a pass mark from Berry for her first-up placing behind Manaal in the Furious Stakes and he’s confident there’ll be a big win in the filly one day.

Whether it’s this spring he’s unsure but he said with the run under her belt going into the Group 2 $300,000 Darley Tea Rose Stakes (1400m) she’s not playing catch up.

“I’ve always liked her since I rode her at Scone and she’s come back in nicely,’’ he said.

“I still think she’s going to be a better horse in the autumn. She still has some filling out to do.

“She was up against Manaal and Ameena who were both second-up and she was only first-up so she’s going to take improvement from that and the step up to 1400m is going to be in her favour.

“She’s drawn well while a few of the chances have drawn out so she’s going to have the right run to be there at the end if she’s good enough.”

Berry saw plenty of Michael Freedman’s mare Mumbai Muse as he ran her down on Sunshine In Paris at Rosehill last week and he feels she can be a sneaky chance in the Group 2 $1m Yarraman Park Shorts (1100m).

It backed up her promising return and told Berry she’s back to the sort of form that saw them combine for successive stakes wins last spring.

Zougotcha runs second at Randwick on August 24

“I know what she can do and she’s just come back better this preparation, everything about her has been top notch,’’ he said.

“I knew what it took to for me beat her on a very good mare last week.

“She’s drawn a good barrier again, she’s going to get a good run, and if the breaks come at the right time she is going to be in the finish.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday’s Randwick meeting