Gai Waterhouse has added blinkers to Driefontein in an attempt to turn around the filly’s form in the $1m Gold Coast Magic Millions 3yo Guineas at the Gold Coast tomorrow.
Driefontein will run with blinkers in the Magic Millions 3yo Guineas. Photo by: Daniel Costello.
Driefontein was beaten first up at Wyong as a $1.10 favourite with jockey Tommy Berry admitting that he should have let the filly stride along in front instead of taking a sit in behind the leaders.
But with the blinkers going on, Berry is confident that everything will fall into place and deliver him back to back Magic Millions wins on the Fastnet Rock filly after the pair combined to take out last year’s $2m BMW Magic Millions 2yo Classic (1200m).
“We decided to put a set of blinkers on, stepping up to 1400m, to switch her on a bit,” Berry said.
“Mark Newnham (Gai Waterhouse’s foreman) has been working her in Queensland and with the blinkers on her work has been outstanding.”
“She should have won first up at Wyong. It probably wasn’t my best ride, but she has come out of that really well.”
Berry believes the blinkers will switch the filly on and she will be able to take up a handy position at her first attempt at 1400m.
“In her two year old prep she was really quick but now if you want to go forward you have to ask her,” Berry said.
“She’ll run 1400m and maybe a mile later on and that adds another string to her bow.”
“She’s a lot more relaxed filly in the run and while her turn of foot is not as powerful, it can last longer.”
Berry has been promoted to number one rider for the Waterhouse stable while Nash Rawiller is out with a broken foot and has had a steady flow on winners including a double at Warwick Farm last Saturday.
Since last year’s Magic Millions success, Berry has continued to secure his spot in the top five Sydney jockey’s list and is currently third on the premiership table with twenty-eight city winners for the season.
And as well as being recognised as one of Sydney’s leading jockeys, Berry has also felt the glory of Group 1 success with wins on Epaulette in the $1m Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on September 15 followed by a Group 1 double for Waterhouse with Fat Al in the $500,000 The Star Epsom (1600m) and Glencadam Gold in the $400,000 McGrath Estate Agents Metropolitan (2400m) at Randwick on October 6.
Driefontein, $5, is pushing Sizzling for favouritism who remains at $4.80 even though he will jump from the outside of the sixteen horse field.
Stablemate No Looking Back is also hovering around the $5 mark with the Robert Heathcote trained Heza Jetsetter the only other runner under double figures at $9.50.
