Seven starts, no win – but could she be the best maiden in Australia?

The best maiden in the country has drawn Tommy Berry to Brisbane for the winter carnival earlier than expected on ANZAC Day.

The winter carnival rolls into action with the Brisbane Handicap, the Mick Dittman Plate and Princess Stakes on Saturday, and Berry is there for the Michael Freedman-trained Sylph, which has five placings from seven starts, earning $354,000.

“Michael keeps telling me that she is the best maiden in the country, and hopefully, after Saturday, I won’t have to hear that again,” Berry said.

“There isn’t much on in Sydney, so Sylph and Welwal were good reasons to go up there and I have picked another couple of nice rides.

“My manager [Paul Joice] is very good with his Queensland form and has got me on a nice filly in the Princess called Smexy, she might be an Oaks type.

“We will be going up there for the next couple of months, and I think I might be looking back on this day and saying I’m glad I went up there.”

Sylph is first-up after a summer preparation, which finished by running into Grafterburners at her last two runs. She got within a length in the Gold Edition Plate before being third to him in the Sunlight.

Bookmakers have Sylph a $4.40 second pick in betting behind Akaysha, which is a well-supported favourite at $3.10, in the Listed affair.

“Akaysha is a very nice filly and will give her a good test, but I think Sylph is that little bit strong after her spell,” Berry said. “Michael is very happy with her, and it is a good starting point for the carnival.

“She might be a maiden, but she has been very competitive in black type company before and that’s where her future lies.”

Berry is excited to get on Welwal, who had the blinkers on for the first time when he won the Doncaster Prelude last time out.

“The stable are saying the blinkers have given him a new lease of life,” Berry said. “When I have ridden him in the past, he has floated a bit but the way he surged away when Zac [Lloyd] asked him to go last start was impressive.

“He just looks a different horse with them on,  and the style of racing up there with a bit of speed will suit him.”

Berry has also picked up the ride on odds-on favourite Daggers for Tony Gollan earlier in the afternoon and Chris Waller’s two-year-old filly Affari in the Calaway Gal Stakes.