Top Sydney based jockey Tommy Berry teamed up again with the John Moore trained Dan Excel to record back to back wins in the Group 1 SGP$3m Singapore Airlines International Cup (2000m) at Kranji in Singapore last Sunday.
Tommy Berry scored back to back wins on Dan Ecxel in the Singapore Airlines International Cup at Kranji in Singapore. Photo by Daniel Costello.
Berry was able to dictate the pace and led all the way before holding off the well performed Military Attack to win by half a length with Quechua finishing in third spot.
The result was fantastic for Australia with the first three placegetters all ridden by Australian jockeys with Zac Purton on the runner up Military Attack and Corey Brown partnering third placegetter Quechua.
Dan Excel showed that he has the wood on the Casper Fownes trained Military Attack in the Singapore Airlines International Cup after the top Hong Kong galloper finished third last year when trained by Moore.
Berry said that he didn’t want to lead but when left in front was able to dictate the pace to record a memorable win.
“I didn’t expect to lead,” Berry told the Singapore Turf Club.
“He can be a bit keen, but I had the Japanese horse (Meiner Frost) on my outside and I know they normally go from a long way out, but he was nice enough to leave me alone.
“I knew I would not get a better run and I was like waiting on the count for a horse to run me down. When the Japanese horse came to put a bit of pressure at the home turn, I let him go and he went full speed ahead.”
Moore brought Dan Excel to Australia during the Spring of 2014 with a run in the Group 1 $3m Sportingbet Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley in mind, but his campaign had to be abandoned when he developed a throat infection.
“It was a great effort to bring him back to this level especially after his throat operation in Sydney,” Moore said.
“We backed him off and when I spoke to the vets, they were confident he would be back, and I would say he was in even better condition than last year.”
Dan Excel subsequently underwent a throat operation before he returned to the racetrack in Singapore in February and Sunday’s win was his first from five starts this year.
