You just have to watch how mature and tough Champion 2YO STAY INSIDE (Extreme Choice – Nothing Leica Storm) is, oh and how good a horseman Tommy Berry is also.
They very nearly fell over at the colt’s first trial since winning the Gr 1 Golden Slipper a few months back.
It didn’t look all that bad an incident side on, but when you’re on a horse worth $25 million and he knuckles over at the start before he even gets a chance to break the Slipper hoodoo, the heart just pounds out of your chest.
It’s one of the great anomalies of Australian horse racing this staggering stat regarding Gr 1 Golden Slipper winners.
They just don’t seem to come back, and very few ever win another race.
Take FARNAN (Not A Single Doubt – Tallow) for instance.
He won last year’s Slipper easily then got smashed in two subsequent starts as a 3-year-old.
In 2015 VANCOUVER (Medaglia Dioro – Skates) – same result. Never won a race past his Slipper triumph.
In 2019 KIAMICHI (Sidestep – Ouachita) won comfortably then in eights starts after that, she failed to win.
ESTIJAAB (Snitzel – Response) was another to fall victim to the Slipper hoodoo. She raced three times post Slipper and didn’t look like winning a race. She won in 2018.
Even the great CAPITALIST (Written Tycoon – Kitalpha) raced three times after his super fast Slipper win in 2016 but came unstuck twice in two starts as a 3-year-old.
And the list goes on and on.
But It may change this year, which given how much this pandemic has changed all our lives, might be appropriate
Under a superb Tommy Berry STAY INSIDE (Extreme Choice – Nothin Leica Storm) stormed away to win this year’s Slipper beating Anamoe and Ingratiating, and he looked bigger, and faster in his barrier trial this morning at Randwick.
He cantered down the running to easily beat Gr 1 placegetters Riodini and Brandenburg over 900m. Back in 5th was Verry Elleegant who it must be said wasn’t asked to extend either.
But it could have been oh so different. After the run Berry said, “this morning he flew out and just forgot to put his front feet down. I thought we were gone. It really caught me off guard.”
But maybe because of that scare, the Champion 2YO gathered speed and dashed up into 2nd spot.
He was jog-trotting as they came to the turn but poor old Berry’s heart was still pounding.
“Time stood still. He did it in front of Verry Elleegant too and I thought we were all coming down. It’s amazing how many things go through your head in that split second.”
The incident just made the trial even more impressive and you’d be a brave man to bet against this horse when he resumes… which will be as a 3-year-old in a couple of weeks.
“Oh he’s back. He isn’t any taller but he certainly is wider and stronger now,” added Berry.
Watch 📺 👇Stay Inside knuckles at the start of this morning’s comeback trial.
