Irish connection to the fore at Rosehill

Apprentice jockey Tom Sherry has a long association with former Irish galloper I Am Power.

The Mark Newnham-trained I Am Power ($6) won at his second Australian start at Rosehill, and it was no surprise to apprentice jockey Tom Sherry who has had a long association with the horse dating back to his juvenile days.

Sherry, hailing from Ireland, had been involved with the Power gelding back in his homeland in 2017 and has seen the six-year-old come full circle across the globe.

“I know a bit about him, I used to ride this horse as a baby and strapped him through his two-year-old career back in Ireland,” Sherry said.

“I was speaking to his old trainer, Michael O’Callaghan, this morning. It’s a bit of a crazy thing that we can ride them on the other side of the world.

“It means a little bit more.”

I Am Power had a handy start to his career in Ireland with a win and second before being sold to Hong Kong interests. He performed admirably there with two wins from six starts but was then moved on to the Newnham camp in Sydney.

The six-year-old gelding ran second at Gosford at his Australian debut, which was 101 weeks since his last outing, before his victory on Saturday, chasing down Rammstein ($9) by a head with Blondeau ($1.95F Sportsbet) a further half-length away in third.

With that win under his belt, Sherry believes there is more in store for the well-travelled galloper.

“He was gutsy,” Sherry said.

“He stuck it out really hard and I think he has a bright future in Australia.

“For him to maintain that high sprint for the whole straight of Rosehill, it’s definitely a nice indication going forward.

“Hopefully the boss (Mark Newnham) can place him right and he can pick up a nice cheque.”

Stable representative Robyn Fowler was optimistic he can continue to take the next steps.

“He will definitely go through his grades,” Fowler said.

“He just had bad luck that run at Gosford last start, he got bumped on the turn. But today he sat exactly where we wanted him to be.”

Article from JustHorseRacing.com.au

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