Champion jockey Tommy Berry could be lost to Australian racing for up to 3 years. That’s right its highly possible Berry and his family could make Hong Kong home for the next three years.
Nothing will be made official until the Hong Kong Jockey Club licensing committee meet on June 9 but it is widely expected Berry will be granted a license to ride in the racing Mecca as the stable rider for champion trainer John Moore next season. Tommy is highly respectful in following the protocols of the Hong Kong Jockey Club and won’t make comment on the expected move until it’s made official and one thing’s for sure if he leaves Australia our racing will be the poorer.
Berry has been riding the crest of a wave with the support of the powerful Hawkes family and Chris Waller stable booting home 56 city winners this season which sees him sitting third on the premiership table. Berry is a huge hit in Hong Kong with officialdom due to his willingness to help promote the regions racing at every opportunity and even more importantly the punting public in the gambling mad region absolutely love him.
Berry has been jetting in and out of Honkers for years at the request of champion trainer John Moore and with so much success as a partnership it was only natural that the conditioner wanted Berry there on a more permanent basis. Back in 2014 it was expected Berry would commit to Hong Kong on a full-time basis but with the passing of his twin brother Nathan as well as his mentor Guy Walter the timing wasn’t right.
Family has always come first for Berry and that will never change but with two young kids Kaiden (2) and Charlise (6 months) now is the right time for him and wife Sharnee to pack up and make the most of the riches in Hong Kong.
The first meeting of the new Hong Kong racing season is September 3 but Berry and family will be looking to arrive mid August to settle in and for Tommy to get a feeling of the horses prior to kick off.
If Berry is granted a license as John Moore’s main man as expected he will have the pick of some quality animals and it will also give Berry a bit more flexibility of returning home to partner group one horses whether it be in group one races or even lead up races.
“I’ve told Tommy if he decides to go to Hong Kong I won’t hesitate to come calling for his services back here. “Tommy has matured as a rider and that shows with the number of winners he is riding but his maturity off the track makes him a pleasure to work with and my owners just love him” champion trainer Chris Waller told www.justracing.com.au.
As mentioned earlier Berry won’t make comment but has told close friends in conversation the kids are at the right age for a permanent move and it would also enable him to see more of his family. It sounds funny that Berry would have to move to another country to see more of his family and not miss out on the precious moments of seeing his kids grow up but it’s spot on the mark.
Here in Australia Tommy rides track work six days a week, barrier trials two mornings and often rides at four race meetings but the biggest occupier of time is travel. In Hong Kong, the family live on Sha Tin racetrack and with only two race meetings a week Berry won’t miss any major milestones in the early years of his kids.
Seeing big moments in your kid’s lives is as important as it gets for parents and I am reliably informed Berry is keen to make sure he doesn’t miss any of more including Charlises’ first step or even Kaiden’s appraisals of his rides following each meeting