Tommy Berry chasing a new Magic moment

EIGHT years on from his proudest moment in racing, Tommy Berry feels he can win his third Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic with filly Soaring Ambition, who he predicts will improve lengths back to a firm track.

Berry won back-to-back classics with Karuta Queen (2011) and Driefontein (2012), but the moment he holds closest to his heart in racing was when twin brother Nathan won on Unencumbered in 2014. Nathan died only a few months later.

“That day, when Nathan won, will go down as the highlight of my career even over any Group 1s I have won,” Berry said.

“Magic Millions has been a great race day for our family and especially for Nathan; it was his greatest win of his career and came only months before he passed.

“Those scenes and memories and that moment I will never forget, just hugging him after the race and just the raw emotion and excitement on his face.

“And he gave it a 10/10 ride as well. It was the proudest moment I’ve had on a racetrack.”

Berry is set to arrive on the Gold Coast this week to ride Annabel Neasham’s filly Soaring Ambition in the big dance on Saturday.

Soaring Ambition rocketed into Magic Millions calculations when storming from the back to win the Wyong 2YO Classic in December.

The filly had her colours lowered when beaten as $2 favourite at Doomben on New Year’s Day.

However, Berry confesses he was concerned about Soaring Ambition pre-race that day given it was a wet Doomben track.

With a week of fine weather forecast for the Gold Coast, Berry feels Soaring Ambition will be back to her brilliant best on Saturday.

“I said to Annabel before the race I was really worried about the wet track, I had trialled her on a soft track at Canterbury and she didn’t like it,” Berry said.

“The reason she went around was because she needed the run.

“She was never comfortable in the going at Doomben and they went slower in that race than they did in the Wyong race, but she travelled a lot stronger at Wyong because she was on good ground.

“I was still really happy with how gutsy and determined she was and she still sprinted well.”

Many have already conceded the Magic Millions to short-priced favourite Coolangatta but Berry is convinced his filly has great claims.

“I actually feel like I am on the right filly,” he said.

“I feel like it’s going to be between her (Soaring Ambition) and Coolangatta.”