The stakes will be high for well-bred colt Hilal when he chases a career-defining G1 win in the Champagne Stakes at Randwick.
On the back of a two-year-old season that has yielded placings in the Skyline and Sires’ Produce Stakes, a victory in the prestigious race would almost certainly cement the Fastnet Rock youngster a future at stud.
But such is jockey Tommy Berry’s confidence in Hilal, he isn’t feeling any pressure.
“I guess I’d feel a bit of pressure on a horse who hadn’t lived up to expectations,” Berry said.
“This bloke, we know how good he is, he’s shown how good he is on the track.
“He has been plagued by a lot of bad luck but I think when you’re on nice colts like him, it takes a bit of the pressure away.
“You know that, provided you put them in the right spot, they’re good enough to get the job done.”
In the absence of star juvenile Anamoe, who has been spelled, Saturday’s Champagne Stakes (1600m) is there for the taking.
Hawkes Racing deliberately bypassed the Golden Slipper to aim Hilal at the final two legs of the two-year-old triple crown and the youngster finally gets a good gate in four after drawing wide at his past two starts.
Berry will also link with Team Hawkes in the final G1 race of the Sydney autumn when he rides Masked Crusader in the All Aged Stakes (1400m).
It has been a lucrative carnival for the reigning Golden Slipper-winning jockey but he has some unfinished business.
“This would be a nice way to cap it off for the Hawkes’,” Berry said.
“I haven’t had a Group One for them over the autumn so it would be really nice with them being one of my biggest supporters.”
