By Tim Yeatman of Racing.com
Berkeley Square remains firmly on track for a G1 Caulfield Guineas tilt after a blistering finish saw the three-year-old overcome significant trouble to storm to victory in Saturday’s Listed Exford Plate (1400m) at Flemington under the guidance of Craig Williams.
“I think me and every person that was watching the race were a bit worried,” O’Sullivan quipped.
“I still felt if he got out, he could get home like he eventually did. He (Craig Williams) tried to ride the percentages and come out, Jamie Kah kept enough pressure on him to stay in, and Craig went back to follow another horse which didn’t take him very far.
“It’s a bit hard to keep a lid on it now, isn’t it? He’s a pretty smart horse I think.”
Having ticked the stakes race box, O’Sullivan says his impressive gelding will likely head straight for the three-year-old Caulfield feature after taking valuable experience from Saturday’s outing.
“As Craig said, the horse will take a great deal of benefit out of racing between horses,” O’Sullivan said.
“He’s only had four starts, he was down the outside the first two times then led up, so he’s pretty versatile which is pretty pleasing.
“The goal is the Caulfield Guineas, it’s just a matter of whether I go to the Bill Stutt Stakes (G2, 1600m) or just go straight to the Guineas.
“I’m not going to make any decisions yet, I’ll see how he is, he’s been five weeks between runs a couple of times now and raced really well so I know I can do that. I’ll monitor the horse and make our mind up a bit closer.
“He’s been in work for a long time, he hasn’t had many starts, but I’d be disappointed if I took him to Moonee Valley (Stutt Stakes) and he’d had enough.”
Berkeley Square is currently $4 favourite for the Victoria Derby with Sportsbet, but O’Sullivan is keeping himself grounded.
“At this stage all the focus is on the Caulfield Guineas, but if he goes through that and comes through it well, the Derby’s still there for sure,” he said.
“He’s a gelding so he’s a long time a racehorse. The Autumn will be even better for him still, so it’s pretty exciting stuff.”
Berkeley Square is rated a $7 chance for the Caulfield Guineas with Sportsbet.