Tommy Berry reunites with Chautauqua in bid to save sprint star’s career
STAR jockey Tommy Berry has answered an SOS call from the Hawkes stable and will fly out from Hong Kong to partner the star sprinter Chautauqua in a last-ditch effort to resurrect his career by jumping-out successfully at Flemington on Thursday morning.
Berry has won five of Chautauqua’s six Group One wins and has developed an affinity with the grey which the Hawkes stable is hoping can help him overcome his barrier problems.
Berry has ridden Chautauqua eight times for five Group One wins, two seconds and a third and last March his part-owner Rupert Legh suggested the reason he wasn’t jumping from the barriers because he was missing him.
Co-trainer Wayne Hawkes said it’s now or never for Chautauqua who needs to have a ban lifted on him from racing by jumping out with the field.
Four times last autumn, the rising eight-year-old gelding refused to leave the barriers in jump-outs or trials and is banned by stewards from racing until he does it successfully twice.
Hawkes described the call to Berry as a last-ditch effort to get Chautauqua back to the racetrack.
“He’s won five Group One races on him so he knows him inside out. If he rides him and nothing happens then you can’t do anymore,” Hawkes said.
Berry was able to turn around the recalcitrant Hong Kong star Pakistan Star when he was also banned.
Berry is making a special trip from Hong Kong to ride him as he has to ride there again on Sunday.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club have given Berry special leave to ride in the jump-out.
“The Jockey Club were more than happy to let him come back to ride the jump-out, it’s certainly not protocol so I do need to say thanks to the Jockey Club.”
Berry is returning to Australia at the end of the Hong Kong season which ends in July and at and Hawkes said he would ride Chautauqua if he was going to race again.
If Chautauqua can jump with the field in the 800m jump-out at Flemington, he’ll head back to the Hawkes’ Sydney stables and have his second jump-out there.
