Talented five-year-old The Offer has stamped himself as a real contender is high level events moving forward, producing a strong turn of foot over the final two furlongs to win the Group 3 NE Manion Cup (2400m) at Rosehill Gardens this afternoon.

Jumping well, The Offer found a good position on the heels of early leaders Opinion and Tremec passing the post the first time and maintained well approaching the final bend.

Having fluttered four wide in a race which only featured five runners, The Offer comfortably broke from the pack in only a few steps to sprint beautifully and find the line nearly three lengths in the clear of Opinion and Tremec.

Trainer Gai Waterhouse was delighted with The Offer’s run in the 2014 NE Manion Cup, revealing she was confident of a successful run on the waterlogged Rosehill surface.

“Very exciting, he’s a really good staying horse in the making” Waterhouse said immediately after the race.

“You saw him win the Ballarat Cup as a very green individual; he came from Aiden O’Brien’s yard in Ireland and was picked out on form and was very lightly raced.

“He had to do the hard work because Jim (Cassidy, Opinion) controlled the race; it was a muddling tempo which picked up around the four of five furlongs and then he was caught wide.

“I knew he’d love the ground today, because if you’ve been trained in Ireland you’re used to a bog.”

Jockey Tommy Berry returned home from a week in Singapore at the bedside of twin brother Nathan, who was placed in an induced coma after contracting Norse Syndrome.

Claiming the first win of the day on a full book of rides, Waterhouse was touched by Berry’s professionalism and class at such a difficult time.

“Really Exciting. Tom’s back and back with a vengeance; he was delighted to be home” Waterhouse added.

Berry delivered a sensational and perfectly-timed ride on the talented Montjeu gelding, and was happy to chalk up a win for his embattled brother.

“It was a hard decision to come back here today”

“I had the great support from Gai and Mark Newnham (stable foreman) who I’ve talked with throughout the whole of the last week and they left it up to me to make the final decision.

“Full credit to Gai; she knows this horse performs well third-up and she said to me this morning it won’t be beaten.

“He’s a top star on the rise and something like the Sydney Cup definitely won’t be out of his reach.”

Having been included in early nominations for the 2014 Sydney Cup, The Offer is now set to rise dramatically in betting markets for the major Group 1 event following today’s exciting result.

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2014 NE Manion Cup Results

Finish	No.	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Margin	Bar.	Weight	Starting Price
1	6	THE OFFER (IRE)	Gai Waterhouse	Tommy Berry	–	1	54.5kg	$2.50
2	3	OPINION (IRE)	Chris Waller	Jim Cassidy	3.3L	3	55.5kg	$2.40F
3	5	TREMEC (NZ)	John P Thompson	Christian Reith	3.5L	5	54.5kg	$21
4	7	DESERT JEUNEY	Nigel Blackiston	Michael Walker	7.7L	2	54.5kg	$5
5	4	GONDOKORO (NZ)	Pat Carey	Rhys McLeod	8.8L	4	54.5kg	$14