It might have been a support race on the Everest undercard, but for trainer Michael Freedman and jockey Tommy Berry, Apocalyptic’s return to the winner’s circle was cause for celebration.
A Group 1 winner of the Flight Stakes last year, Apocalyptic had been below par in the autumn and her first two spring starts, but had continued to work like an elite horse at home.
Neither Freedman nor Berry lost faith in the mare, but admitted it had been a trying period as they attempted to return her to her best race day form, finally winning the battle in Saturday’s $1 million Silver Eagle (1300m) at Randwick.
“It’s really, really satisfying because she has been going so well at home and just not executing on race day. I know how good she is when she’s right,” Freedman said.
“We had to tinker around with a bit of gear for today with putting visors on and a lugging bit and it was great to see her back doing what I know she is capable of.”
Berry settled Apocalyptic ($26) midfield and the four-year-old sustained a strong run down the outside to nail a brave Skyhook ($3.20) by a long neck, with leader Beiwacht ($2.40 fav) refusing to lay down, finishing another neck away third.
The Silver Eagle is a lead-in to the $10 million Golden Eagle (1500m) in a fortnight, and Freedman remains open to heading down that path.
“As long as she pulls up okay, I can’t see any reason why we wouldn’t have a crack at a race like that because she is one of the better horses I’ve ever had anything to do with,” he said.
However, Berry was less enthusiastic, saying that while Apocalyptic had won over a mile as a three-year-old, he wasn’t convinced that was her best distance as an older horse.
“My only query with her is she’d had enough just on the line,” Berry said.
“There’s still an option to go to a Golden Eagle, and I know she ran that trip as a three-year-old, but I’m just not sure that’s her at the moment with where she’s at. I’ll leave it up to the team.”
Like Freedman though, Berry was jubilant at getting the result on Saturday given the work that had gone into getting the mare right.
“She has tested our patience, but it was nice to get that win today,” he said.
“That roar over the line, I know it wasn’t a Group One, but it was more the feeling it was great for the whole team.
“I’ve been riding twenty years, and not many can do what she does at home on the track.”
Apocalyptic gave Berry a stakes double on the program following So You Are’s victory in the Group 3 St Leger Stakes (2600m) earlier in the day.
