Although it was a supporting race on The Everest program, Apocalyptic’s victory in the Silver Eagle was a significant moment for trainer Michael Freedman and jockey Tommy Berry.
The mare, a Group 1 winner of the Flight Stakes last year, had not performed to expectations in the autumn and her initial two starts this spring. However, she had consistently displayed elite qualities in her training at home.
Freedman and Berry maintained their belief in the mare throughout a challenging period as they worked to restore her peak race day performance, ultimately succeeding in Saturday’s $1 million Silver Eagle (1300m) at Randwick.
“It’s really, really satisfying because she has been going so well at home and just not executing on race day. I know how good she is when she’s right,” Freedman stated.
“We had to tinker around with a bit of gear for today with putting visors on and a lugging bit and it was great to see her back doing what I know she is capable of.”
Berry positioned Apocalyptic ($26) in the midfield and the four-year-old produced a sustained run on the outside to defeat a determined Skyhook ($3.20) by a long neck. The leader, Beiwacht ($2.40 fav), fought on gamely to finish another neck away in third.
The Silver Eagle serves as a crucial lead-in to the $10 million Golden Eagle (1500m) in two weeks, and Freedman is considering that target.
“As long as she pulls up okay, I can’t see any reason why we wouldn’t have a crack at a race like that because she is one of the better horses I’ve ever had anything to do with,” he said.
Berry, however, expressed some reservations, noting that while Apocalyptic had won over a mile as a three-year-old, he doubted that was her optimal distance now.
“My only query with her is she’d had enough just on the line,” Berry commented.
“There’s still an option to go to a Golden Eagle, and I know she ran that trip as a three-year-old, but I’m just not sure that’s her at the moment with where she’s at. I’ll leave it up to the team.”
Similar to Freedman, Berry was thrilled with the Saturday result, acknowledging the effort invested in preparing the mare.
“She has tested our patience, but it was nice to get that win today,” he expressed.
“That roar over the line, I know it wasn’t a Group One, but it was more the feeling it was great for the whole team.
“I’ve been riding twenty years, and not many can do what she does at home on the track.”
Apocalyptic’s win provided Berry with a stakes double for the day, following his earlier success in the Group 3 St Leger Stakes (2600m) aboard So You Are.
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