Berry hopes Ruination can resurrect Sydney stakes streak with Freedman

5 hours ago 3

By Craig Kerry

October 23, 2025 — 6.00pm

Tommy Berry is optimistic he has pulled the right rein with Ruination, and that Manaal can rise to the occasion again, as he looks to combine with Randwick trainer Michael Freedman for more stakes success in Sydney on Saturday.

The duo have bagged feature wins on five of the past seven Saturdays in town thanks to Apocalyptic, Manaal, Marhoona, Ohope and Incognito, but they had a rare miss last weekend on Everest day.

Tommy Berry wins the Golden Pendant on Manaal on September 27.

“He missed out, I didn’t,” quipped Berry, who won the Reginald Allen Quality aboard Chris Waller-trained Panova. “No, but we’ve had a good run. Hopefully, we can get it going again.”

Berry heads back to Randwick on Saturday for the Spring Champion Stakes program with a strong book of rides before heading to Flemington the following week for the Melbourne Cup carnival.

He faced a difficult choice between Freedman’s Ohope and Ruination in the $1 million Callander-Presnell (1600m) for three-year-olds. He was on Wootton Bassett colt Ruination when second to Spring Champion contender Attica last start over the same distance in the Dulcify Stakes, and also Ohope when the I Am Invincible colt easily won the listed Tapp-Craig (1400m).

He liked both horses’ chances, but went with Ruination – which then drew seven and was quoted at $4.20 with Sportsbet in a wide open race.

Tommy Berry after winning the Golden Pendant on Manaal.

“Ruination was massive last start,” Berry said. “He obviously had to do a bit of work to get outside the leader, then travelled pretty strong on the bridle after that, and then got left in front a long way out with the leaders stopping.

“We were then beaten by a pretty smart horse. I like the way he went with the winner when he got past him, so it was a tough decision between him and Ohope.

“I don’t think there’s a lot between them. I just thought if it came down to barriers, Ruination could press forward and make his own luck, where Ohope, you’d like to draw well on him otherwise you’ve got to take him back too far.

“They both worked together on Tuesday morning, and there was nothing between them, so it was sort of just pluck one out of the hat.”

Jason Collett takes over on Ohope ($5, gate four).

In the $2 million Invitation (1400m), Manaal ($4.80) will be shooting for a hat-trick of fillies and mares features after wins in the group 2 Sheraco (1200m) then the Golden Pendant (1400m). Berry, who reunited with the four-year-old in the Golden Pendant a month ago, believed she needed to win well to warrant a one-week back-up into the $10 million Golden Eagle at Randwick.

“She sets up very well from the good alley again,” Berry said of the draw in five. “The two other main chances in the race have both drawn well, Miss Roumbini and Stefi Magnetica, so she’s going to have to be at her best, but she’s had a nice break between runs and she’s been ticking along very nicely at home.

“[Golden Eagle] is a tough ask, so she’d have to probably win, I’m tipping – and be impressive doing so – to be back up in a race like that.”

While the connection with Freedman continues, Berry reached out to top Queensland trainer Tony Gollan to snare the ride on Transatlantic in the $1 million Five Diamonds Prelude (1500m). Transatlantic, a last-start winner of the group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m), was $2.45 favourite from gate four.

“I actually didn’t really have him on the radar, but I texted Tony to say well done after he won the group 1 with it, and he said he’d be a nice ride for you in the Five Diamonds, so I said, ‘Yeah, sweet, I’ll take it’,” Berry said.

“He’s drawn well, a lovely horse who puts himself on speed and makes his own luck.”

He rides Chris Waller-trained Master Of The Air ($23) in the group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) and Kovalica ($8) in the Craven Plate (1800m). He said Master Of The Air “would need a lot of luck” from barrier 12 and Kovalica was “going to need speed in the race for him to be a chance”.

The following Saturday, Berry heads to Flemington, where he rides Lazzura in the Empire Rose, Raging Force in the Coolmore Stud Stakes, Panova in the Carbine Club and Engine Of War in the Derby. He is set to partner More Felons in the Melbourne Cup three days later.

“It was a tough one,” he said of choosing between Golden Eagle day at Randwick and the Derby program.

“I had some good offers in both of the main races, but they looked very strong races, and the top four, three in the market looked very strong, so I just felt the better chances were in Melbourne.”