Nathan Berry felt a sense of déjà vu when Urquidez sizzled down the Warwick Farm straight in the Nissan Micra Sprint over 1100m on Saturday to snatch his first win.
Nathan Berry and Urquidez winning at Warwick Farm on Saturday, picture Sportpix.com.au
Just over 12 months ago Berry jumped on a two-year-old named Aeronautical for the first time and produced a similar performance – a flashing finish from the back for the same result.
Aeronautical went on to win The Rosebud (1200m) before contesting the Group 1 Golden Rose (1400m).
Berry believes his latest juvenile speedster, a colt by Street Sense trained by Jarrod Austin, can be even better.
“The thing he's got over Aeronautical is he's got the size,” Berry said.
“Aeronautical always looked like a two-year-old and probably still does look like a two-year-old at the moment where this horse looks like a three-year-old. Aeronautical, could run times on the track that no other horse could at Rosehill - he's got a lot of ability but he lacked that strength.
“This bloke is given me a very similar feel, showing all the assets that Aeronautical gave me. He's a very good worker but he's just got that size there and that presence that you like to see in a good horse.
“On Saturday the plan was sort of just to get him out the back, sit off them a little bit and teach him something.”
The plan worked. Not only did Urquidez learn how to win, he taught the field a lesson in how to let down in the home straight.
Austin and Berry were both confident going into the race and the horse repaid their faith almost in the blink of an eye. He was still well off the leaders at the 200m, drew level 100m from home and stormed away from them to win by more than two lengths.
“We were pretty bullish about him, we didn't say it to each other but he said to me before the race just to ride him quiet, peel him out and he won't get beat,” Berry said.
“I rode him on Thursday morning and just got a bit of a feel on him, and he covered the ground so well. I even said to my girlfriend the night before, if this horse produces what he has in his trials he'll win by three, four, five, six lengths.
“He was going very well at the turn. He got a bit lost and I put a couple around his tail and he just went on with the job.”
Urquidez has been pencilled in for a run in the $125,000, Group 3 Up And Coming Stakes (1300m) at Warwick Farm on August 25th and the colt could also start in $100,000, listed The Rosebud (1200m) on August 11th on the way through.
Connections will then decide whether the Golden Rose is a realistic possibility.
“To pay the 50,000 [dollars] to go ahead in going to the Golden Rose you want to be pretty confident so he's going to want to be showing us all the signs from now on,” Berry said.
“He's a lovely horse, he's still got his nuts in and he's a very lovely natured horse.
“He's got a lot of ability. He just needs to go on with it now, some of them do, some of them don't.”
