A cherished wish to claim the Sydney jockeys’ title was thwarted by James Mcdonald last season but winning the premiership remains a focus for Tommy Berry this term.
While Berry finished 21 wins behind McDonald in the title race, having a goal kept him motivated and sharp, taking his consistency in the saddle to new levels.
In the preceding two seasons, Berry rode 76 and 77 metropolitan winners respectively but during the 2020-21 term, he improved that mark to 111.
On the back of that success, Berry will set his sights on ending McDonald’s three-season dominance, although he knows it will be no easy task.
“I’ll have my heart set on it and it might never happen, especially while James is around,” Berry said.
“But it gives me something to chase and it gives me consistency in my riding and I think that’s the biggest thing.
“That showed last season with 111 city winners so I’m definitely going to focus on that this year and who knows? Maybe some borders will open up and James might go to England for a few months for a break.”
Berry has hit the ground running, opening his account with a winning double at the first metropolitan meeting of the new term at Kensington on Wednesday and taking out the first Group race of the season with his Missile Stakes victory aboard Phobetor on Saturday.
As the preferred rider for the Hawkes stable in Sydney, he is looking forward to seeing how the likes of up-and-coming stayer Mount Popa and Group One-winning sprinter Masked Crusader come back this spring.
Berry also has strong ties with several other leading stables, including Richard and Michael Freedman who he teamed with to claim the Golden Slipper on Stay Inside.
“I feel like last season I had a great season and built up a lot of nice connections with stables, so hopefully I can carry that on into this season,” Berry said.
“There’s plenty there (to look forward to). A horse like Mount Popa, he was very good over the autumn. He put a few wins together and probably should have been unbeaten last prep.
“He’s got exciting things in store and will probably head to Melbourne for a Caulfield Cup because he’s exempt from ballot now (after winning the Mornington Cup).
“And Mo’Unga is an exciting customer going forward.”
The Rosehill Guineas winner, Mo’unga will make his first public appearance of the season in an 1100m barrier trial at Warwick Farm on Monday.
