Tommy Berry impressed with Prompt Response
Tommy Berry is confident Prompt Response can provide a fitting Australian Group One farewell before he relocates to Hong Kong.
Berry was suspended at the previous meeting at Doomben but was granted a stay of proceedings on Monday pending an appeal which enables him to ride the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained filly in the Tattersall’s Tiara.
Saturday’s 1350m-race for fillies and mares is the final final Group One race of the Australian season.
Berry, who heads to Hong Kong in August to take up a contract as stable rider for John Moore, is looking forward to riding the filly again.
“I think she’s a great chance from a good barrier (8). I’ll be able to get a really good run,” Berry said.
He rode Prompt Response to win the Group Two Dane Ripper Stakes (1350m) on June 10 and he expects another bold showing.
“Her form stacks up well and that win will give her a lot of confidence,” Berry said.
“There’s going to be a lot of tempo and that’ll be good for her.”
Prompt Response was at $6.50 on Thursday with Stradbroke Handicap runner-up In Her Time the TAB’s $3.10 favourite with Berry naming the Ben Smith-trained mare the main danger despite her wide barrier.
“The gate favours us a bit more but she’s a strong on-speed type and she’s got the form from the Stradbroke,” he said.
Like most Tulloch Lodge runners, Prompt Response was an on-pace runner early but Waterhouse and Bott have altered her usual racing pattern.
“When she was up on the pace she was just unable to find that killer blow to be able to put them away,” Bott said.
“We thought if we could ride her conservatively and give her a chance to finish off the race we might be able to get a different result and that worked out for us in the Dane Ripper.”