Trainer Chris Waller praises Tommy Berry's tactical mastery on Cigar Flick at Randwick

The Australian

5 days ago

Trainer Chris Waller had jockey Tommy Berry to thank after his well-bred mare Cigar Flick scored her first victory in more than a year at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
Waller had a different plan in mind for his daughter of Churchill before Berry went off script to produce her with a barnstorming run down the outside to win the Benchmark 72 Handicap (1100m).
'I was actually watching the race with Charlie (Duckworth) and said 'I don't know what this Tommy is doing, we said we were going to come through them and have the last crack at them',' Waller said.
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'Then I said after the race 'that's why Tommy is a jockey and I am a trainer'. He knew what he was doing.'
Berry settled Cigar Flick in her customary position towards the rear of the field and ensured the daughter of Churchill kept momentum as they rounded the turn in a four-wide line.
Cigar Flick ($13) unleashed a powerful burst down the outside to run over the top of the Matthew Smith-trained World Alliance ($11) to prevail by one-and-a-quarter lengths.
John Thompson's Bundeena ($8) gave them something to catch inside the final furlong before finishing third.
'She is one that you have to ride for bad luck and hope for a bit of good luck,' Berry said.
'Today the opportunity presented to get her to the outside.
'I still had a bum to follow and be patient on her and she reaped the rewards of what's been a consistent preparation without any luck.
'She is in at the right time of year.'
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Cigar Flick hadn't won for more than a year heading into Saturday but Waller is hoping to win another race with the mare before she is retired to stud later this year.
'She is a lovely horse, beautiful,' Waller said.
'She won't have too much more racing. Her mum is a sister to Fangirl so she is well bred and she will go to stud this year. She has done a great job.
'We will see what else we can find.
'This type of distance and these type of conditions and she can win another one of them.'
The win came less than an hour after Berry produced a vastly different ride to score on the Ciaron Maher-trained Lugh.
His decision to push forward early on the son of Snitzel in the Benchmark 78 Handicap (1300m) proved decisive.
Lugh ($9) travelled well outside the lead and kept finding over in the straight to hold off Chris Waller's Starman ($16) by three-quarters of a length with the Bjorn Baker-trained Slinky ($21) working home strongly for third.
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Lugh is still only lightly-raced and has highlighted his considerable talent in just a handful of starts, winning four of six.
'He doesn't have much of a turn of foot but has a big action,' Maher's assistant trainer Johann Gerard-Dubord said.
'On a bigger track here at Randwick was going to suit him better.
'He enjoyed the conditions and I thought Tommy (Berry) rode him really well.
'He is a horse that needs a bit of encouragement, he is very casual and has the best attitude.
'The way Tommy rode him, he kept him on his job.'
Stablemate Sacred Rocks was expected to be the horse to beat but was a drifter in betting out to $3.50 and never looked likely.
Apprentice Anna Roper made a mid-race move to settle closer on the daughter of Sacred Falls, which ran out of gas over the concluding stages to miss the placings.
'I don't it really work out for Sacred Rocks,' Gerard-Dubord said.
'She was slow away and just had to make that move mid-race.
'She got going early so was always going to be soft late.'