Berkeley Square to the fore in Drummond Golf Moonee Valley Vase
Story by Just Horse Racing
Berkeley Square has vindicated trainer Dan O’Sullivan’s faith in the three-year-old as a stayer with a fighting win at Moonee Valley.
Victory in the Group 2 Drummond Golf Vase (2040m) on Saturday was a precursor to the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington on the opening day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.
Sent out the $2.60 favourite under Craig Williams, Berkeley Square scored a three-quarter length win from Virtuous Circle ($5) with Pericles ($3) a short-half-head away third.
Berkeley Square relished the rise in distance from his fourth-place finish in the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on October 8, although O’Sullivan had his doubts the gelding was happy on the tight turning Valley circuit.
“I’m glad he put his head out at the right time,” O’Sullivan said.
“I’ll be interested what Craig has to say on how he handled that track, but I’m really pleased to get that result home for the owners.
“I’ve thought that 2000 metres would be his minimum (distance). It was a really exciting race, and he was tough to the line.”
O’Sullivan does not see the rise to 2500m in a week’s time will pose a problem for Berkeley Square, although the trainer wants to debrief with Willimas before a final decision is made on a Derby start.
In a change to previous years, the Victoria Racing Club has moved away from taking early entries for the Victoria Derby and nominations for the race will close on Monday.
TAB is operating a market on the Derby and Berkeley Square firmed from $6 to $4.50 following Saturday’s victory.
Should Berkeley Square head to the Derby, he will be attempting to become the first galloper since Efficient (2006) to win The Vase and Derby double.
“I think he will get it (the trip),” O’Sullivan said.
“I’ll have a chat to Craig and it will be interesting how much this race takes out of him. The track is drying out but if the run affected him then we wouldn’t go.”
Williams said while the Moonee Valley track was drying it remained borderline between soft and heavy, conditions that were not ideal for Berkeley Square.
“He struggled a bit on it today, but he showed his superiority late in the race and he’s an exciting horse,” Williams said.
Captain Crackerjak Wins Again
Our little speed machine, Captain Crackerjak, got away with one of his "catch me if you can" performances on the Geelong Synthetic yesterday.A change in ownership and training routine saw this little fellow have a month between runs. "We've tried to get him to settle...
Metro Debut for Lucinda Doodt
Story by James Tzaferis from Racing.comLucinda Doodt will take the next step in her blossoming career in the saddle when she makes her first appearance in a metropolitan form guide at Ladbrokes Park on Wednesday.The Ballarat apprentice will take the reins aboard...
Antagonist No More??
The word antagonist:anˈtaɡ(ə)nɪst/noun1.a person who actively opposes or is hostile to someone or somethingHeading to Geelong yesterday, our team were confident that "Benny" was ripping order and should easily win, with the race being the same distance, same...
Project Antagonist
To say our team has worked tirelessly, left no stone un-turned, and travelled down every pathway with this guy over the past two years is understatement - so to have him win in such good fashion at Geelong today is a very proud and satisfying moment for our team.Known...
Little Crackers Runs Like The Clappers
Captain Crackerjak kicked off a new campaign with a convincing win at Bendigo yesterday. Known for his blistering speed in the early stages of his racing, he is also known for his habit of stopping over the last 50-100m, so he has been another project for our...
Two In A Row for Val Too
Our lucky streak continued yesterday at Stawell when Valhalla Princess delivered back to back wins, making it Dan's fifth winner in fourteen days.She was stepping up in class after her win at Werribee but was dropping 11kg's in weight and thankfully the rain had...
Two In A Row for Elite Tiger
We love racing at our home track here at Ballarat, and so does Elite Tiger, with him notching his fourth win at this venue and making it seven career wins for his connections.Stepping up to 1600m was the query, having no luck over the trip prior, but Dan was...
Elite Tiger to Head Home Track Charge For Dan O’Sullivan
Story by Daryl Curnow - horsebetting.com.auBALLARAT-based trainer Dan O’Sullivan will have a four-pronged attack this Wednesday on his home track, which will be headed by Elite Tiger in the Porter Plant Cup.The feature race of the day at Ballarat has attracted a...
Val Makes Hay While The Sun Shines
She's no super star, but Valhalla Princess is one of those horses who is such a pleasure to have around the stables.Professional in all she does, sound and such a trier on the race track, this girl was very due for a win when she stepped out at Werribee on...
Double for Dan and Lucy
It was a busy day for our team yesterday at Ballarat with five runners. Other than our "old timer" in Beer Garden making a return to racing over a short distance and new addition Hidden Away, who we are getting to know, we believed the other runners were all...
