Sydney galloper Roots is set to run in next Saturday’s Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m) at Ascot and top jockey Tommy Berry has been booked to ride the last start winner.
Tommy Berry continues his successful association with the Chris Waller-trained five-year-old after riding her to a dominant victory in last week’s Hot Danish Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill.
Displaying a strong turn of foot, the daughter of Press Statement let down strongly in the straight and won running away to defeat Call Di by 3 lengths with stablemate Finepoint third.
Roots claimed her second Group 2 victory after the Emancipation (1500m) at Rosehill in March, boosting her career record to seven wins from 21 starts.
The Railway Stakes, Perth’s premier mile race, can help Roots claim cherished Group 1 status after a close second in the Tatt’s Tiarra (1400m) at Eagle Farm in June.
Berry says Roots comes to Perth with the right profile and form lines.
“She’s a well performed mare who is Group 1 placed,” Berry told The Races WA.
“She probably put in one of her best performances last week with the blinkers on in the Hot Danish.
“She ran really good time and made them look second rate.
“She is going over to Perth in good form and I don’t think the mile will pose any problem for her.
“It looks a nice progressive race for her and Chris (Waller) is very keen to get the Group 1 beside her name obviously.
“She’s got a couple of Group 2s and he wouldn’t be sending her over there if he didn’t think she was a great chance.”
Berry returns from suspension to ride Roots in the Railway Stakes, his first visit back to Perth in just over a decade.
Western Australia holds great memories for the gun jockey from his time as an apprentice during the Equine Influenza epidemic.
In 2014 he partnered Waterman’s Bay for trainer Dan Morton to win the Group 3 A.J.Scahill Stakes (1400m) at Ascot.
Earlier he rode the Trevor Andrews-trained Palace Intruder to land the first leg of a feature double in the Listed Aquanita Stakes (1800m).
Roots is currently an $11 chance for the Railway ahead of her are local gun Alsephina $4.20, Tuvalu $6 and Bustler $10 with betting sites.