Tommy Berry has had just two rides on Japanese horse Tosen Stardom during trackwork at Canterbury but already rates the four-year-old very highly and is confident he can figure in the Group 1 Ranvet Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill this Saturday.

Tommy Berry wowed by Group 1 Ranvet Stakes hopeful Tosen Stardom. Photo by Daniel Costello.
The trainer is set to ride Group 1 Golden Slipper (1200m) favourite Vancouver in Saturday’s feature race but was quite clear he’s more excited about his debut run with Tosen Stardom in race 4.
“I went and galloped Tosen Stardom this morning at Canterbury and I’m just as excited about riding him in the Ranvet as I am Vancouver in the Slipper. He’s going that well,” Berry told Sky Racing.
“He’s such a beautiful horse to ride.
“He’s big and strong and covers the ground well.”
Tosen Stardom is one of seven horses set to contest the 2015 Ranvet Stakes this Saturday, scoring the inside jump from barrier one. He is the market mover of the betting at Ladbrokes.com.au, seeing his price firm from $5 to $4.80 in the past couple of hours.
Berry, who claims the horse has improved from when he rode him a week ago, believes the horse will relish the 2000 metre trip.
“He won’t be winning the race until the last 100 metres if he’s going to win it, he’ll just keep warming up,” he said.
“When you first start moving into his work at the 600 (metres) he’s just OK and then by the time you get to the winning post you can’t hold him slow enough. It’s big-building work.
“I reckon Randwick is going to suit him better once he gets there for the Queen Elizabeth Stakes but he’ll be hard to beat at Rosehill anyway.”
Tosen Stardom’s main autumn target is the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on Day 2 of The Championships. Berry believes the horse will enjoy the Randwick track on April 11 more than Rosehill but still expects him to run strongly this Saturday.
The four-year-old is a Group Three winner in Japan, taking out The Kisaragi Sho (1800m) last February and The Challenge Cup (1800m) on December 13.
Make sure to place a bet on the 2015 Ranvet Stakes at Ladbrokes.com.au this weekend to get an additional 20% on your winnings when you bet against the Best Tote or SP.