Who Shot Thebarman to be ridden by Berry

Tommy Berry has answered the call to ride the Kiwi warrior Who Shot Thebarman in the A$6 million Melbourne Cup on Tuesday.

Blake Shinn has been the horse’s regular rider and kicked him home to win the Moonee Valley Cup on Saturday, but opted to ride Humidor - who was a close second to Winx in the Cox Plate later in the day - in the cup.

It will be Who Shot Thebarman’s fourth attempt in the Melbourne Cup - he was third in 2014, 11th in 2015 and an unlucky fifth last year.

The former Auckland Cup winner is owned by the dairy farming O’Leary brothers from Rangitikei and Whanganui and trained by expat Kiwi Chris Waller in Sydney.

‘‘He’s an old warrior that Chris Waller, like the master he is, has got him to peak at the right time,’’ Berry, who is based in Hong Kong this season, told Racing.com.

‘‘He’ll go into the Melbourne Cup as a last-start winner - something most of them won’t be able to say.

‘‘He relishes the test and wasn’t too far off them in last year’s (Melbourne) Cup when fifth behind Almandin,’’ Berry said.

‘‘I’ll be on a horse with the miles in his legs, coming off a strong win and a proven performer at this level - bring it on.’’

Who Shot Thebarman escaped a penalty for his Group II win on Saturday and will carry 54kg in the cup.

Victoria Racing handicapper Greg Carpenter said the gelding already had more weight in the cup than his rivals in the Moonee Valley Cup did.

‘‘He also has history against him with no nine-year-old having been successful in the Melbourne Cup, with eight-year-olds Toryboy (1865) and Catalogue (1938) the oldest Cup winners.’’

In other cup riding engagements, Dean Yendall will partner Amelie’s Star for the Darren Weir stable.

Amelie’s Star was unplaced in the Caulfield Cup, but was ridden against her usual pattern.

She won The The Bart Cummings over 2500m at her previous run.

Fellow Hong Kong jockeys Joao Moreira and Zac Purton have been booked to ride Thomas Hobson and Max Dynamite respectively from the Willie Mullins’ Ireland stable.

A rider is still to be finalised for Wicklow Brave, but the stable has indicated that if Thomas Hobson, who is 26th in order of entry for the 24-horse field, failed to get a start, then Moreira would switch to Max Dynamite and Purton would ride Wicklow Brave.

Godolphin announced yesterday that Hartnell was a definite runner in the cup.

- Stuff, AAP