Australian jockey Tommy Berry believes Corazon Beat’s toughness and versatility suits Australian racing but admitted the filly will need to be at her best to beat fellow Japanese raider Ascoli Piceno.
Both fillies have entered quarantine at Northern Farm Ten-ei in Fukushima, where they will stay for two weeks before flying to Australia to prepare for the A$10m Golden Eagle at Rosehill on November 2.
On paper, it would seem Ascoli Piceno has a clear edge on Corazon Beat, but in a 20-horse field over the unconventional feature race distance of 1500m on a relatively tight track, luck could come into play, and adaptability is key.
“Corazon Beat’s form is all around that 1400 metre to 1600 metre range,” Berry said. “So that’s going to suit the Golden Eagle. And she’s very tough. She’s raced wide on occasions and still been right there in the finish. She can race up on the speed or get back.
“And I think being used to the big fields is important as well. Over in Japan they race big field sizes all the time, especially in their big races. Sometimes over here in Australia, especially in our better races, the fields aren’t always so big, particularly in some of the lead up races. So the Japanese horses aren’t always used to that sort of race, but these fillies are used to racing in big fields and strong fields from a young age. Corazon Beat has the whole way through her career and she’s handled that pressure very well.”
Corazon Beat had won three from four as two-year-old before she was third behind Ascoli Piceno and Stellenbosch in the G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies but has been unlucky in her three-year-old campaign, particularly last start in the G3 Keisei Hai Autumn, when she struck severe interference in the straight and finished 15th of 16.
“Yeah, the last couple of runs you could probably sort of look past, but if you go to her form before that, then she’s Group 1 placed at two and a G2 winner as well over 1400m.”
Berry compared Corazon Beat’s form to that of 2023 Golden Eagle winner Obamburumai, who Berry had a chance to ride after an injury to Yutake Take opened the door for a replacement. Berry was already booked for a ride in the race and Josh Parr found himself on the winner.
The 33-year-old jockey would be more confident if not for the presence of Ascoli Piceno, for whom a jockey is yet to be confirmed.
“Yeah, look, I’d need Ascoli Piceno to find a lot of bad luck to beat her and that’s just being honest,” Berry said. “She’s obviously got better credentials than Corazon Beat and from what I’ve heard from the team over in Japan is probably one of the best they’ve brought here to Australia. So she’s only got to turn up and get the job done, and the race is probably in her keeping. But as I said, my filly has had excuses the last couple of starts and I think she’s going to be right in the finish this time.”
“If Ascoli Piceno is as good as they say, then she’s going to be mighty hard to beat. But nothing’s unbeatable in racing. And, you know, there’s a lot of luck to be had and hopefully it goes our way.”
The Golden Eagle, a race for southern hemisphere four-year-olds and northern hemisphere three-year-olds and scheduled to clash with the prestigious Victoria Derby day in Melbourne, has been held five times.
Although Ascoli Piceno has been heavily backed into favourite in pre-post markets, she will be taking on a strong cohort of local contenders, plus the William Haggas-trained sprinter Lake Forest and the Jerome Reynier-trained Lazzat.
Local hopes Joliestar, Southport Tycoon, Stefi Magnetica and Makarena are all in top form, while although perhaps disappointing this time in, Celestial Legend and Veight both loom as chances at their best.
Berry rides Tom Kitten in this weekend’s Epsom Handicap at Randwick and is booked to ride Sunshine In Paris in the A$20m Everest on October 19.
“Tom Kitten obviously hasn’t drawn great out in 19 but it’s a forgiving mile at Randwick when it comes to barriers,” he said. “You’ve got a beautiful run down the back straight there and he’s always a horse that likes a bit of room anyway. I’d rather draw out on him. There was a lot of merit in his last run. He had to make good ground on the part of the track where no one had done that all day.”
“Sunshine In Paris was obviously incredible winning first-up, she ran really good time. She’s got great overall form and she would have been right in the Everest market last year until she got injured. So she’s going into her second-up run fresh and she’s got a great fresh record. She’ll be forgotten about a little bit as we get closer because she will be five weeks between runs.”
The ride on Corazon Beat came about through Japan-based jockey manager Adam Harrigan who represented Berry on his successful stints in Japan and booked him for the ride on Kluger for the horse’s two runs in Australia in 2019.
Kluger was fourth in the 2019 G1 Doncaster Handicap before Berry convinced connections to back up and run against Winx in what would be her final start in the G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Kluger was able to run on for second in the historic race and give Berry one of his most memorable moments in racing.
“I begged them to keep him around to run in the Queen Elizabeth but over in Japan, they don’t back up their horses, especially a week later,” Berry recalled. “After he pulled up well, we convinced them. Halfway down the straight he looked like he was going to really challenge Winx, but obviously the champ was too good in the end.”
“It was really exciting to be a part of and I’ve never been beaten on a horse and come back and had connections so excited. They were jumping around and cheering like they’d won. They really appreciated the quality of the horse that they’d been beaten by.”
