Berry says his outsider ‘definitely has the best form’

It might be the longest-standing booking in Australian racing, but Tommy Berry is convinced Savvy Hallie has the best form heading into Saturday’s Magic Millions Sunlight at the Gold Coast.

It was three months ago, Berry locked into Silver Shadow Stakes winner Savvy Hallie, who brings Apocalyptic and Tempted form with her to the $3 million slot race.

“She definitely has the best form around the right horses in this race,” Berry said.

“She is a Group 2 winner and when she has been beaten, she has been beaten by good horses – Apocalyptic, Tempted and Nepotism.”

“Grafterburners is the short-priced favourite and probably deserves to be on his recent form, but if you look at what he has been beating and line up the form with her, she has better form, but she’s got to bring it on the weekend.”

Grafterbruners is the $2.80 top pick in betting after an unbeaten run as a three-year-old, including winning the Winning Rupert Stakes and Gold Edition Stakes, while Savvy Hallie is out of sight, out of mind at $9.

Savvy Hallie’s trainer Brad Widdup decided to stop her spring campaign after an easy Newcastle Maiden win, the Silver Shadow success and a third to Apocolyptic in the Furious Stakes to target the Gold Coast.

He rang Berry’s manager Paul Joice and wanted to get the jockey in place.

“Joicey rang me and said, ‘what do you want to do?’ because this is the right sort of ride,” Berry said of the offer to ride Savvy Hallie in the Sunlight.

“We usually would wait, but when Brad was so keen, and I know he is a good judge, it wasn’t that hard to go with her.”

“We looked at Private Harry, who won the race last year, and thought a horse like her would definitely be one of the top chances, and if they were so focused on this race, it was a great ride.”

Without running in a Group 1 race, Savvy Hallie has Group 1 form references littered throughout her form.

She was runner-up to Champagne Stakes winner Nepotism in the Baillieu Stakes, second to Everest runner-up Tempted in the Percy Sykes Stakes as a two-year-old before franking that form as a spring three-year-old.

Berry admits Savvy Hallie’s barrier trials haven’t caught the eye, but he has learnt more about her.

“I said to Brad after the second trial she didn’t blow me away, but he said she isn’t a great trialler and doesn’t like to be cluttered away inside horses,” Berry said.

“But my mate Andy Atkins rode her in a gallop on Saturday and that looked good. He said she felt great so the timing might be right.”

“There looks to be a ton of speed in this race, and her style will let us find a spot, and I’ll just have to get her out in the clear and see what she can do.”

Atkins is proving to be the man to prepare winners for Berry after Ninja became the Magic Millions Guineas favourite following his win in the Vo Rogue Stakes last weekend.

“He did all the work on Ninja, and I just jumped on him on Saturday. He kept telling me he was a proper (horse) and he was right,” Berry said. “The way he took a sit and charged home, he is obviously going to be very hard to beat in the Guineas.”