Berry The Cash firmly asserted himself among the top hurdlers in the country at Woodville on Sunday with a dominant display in the Manawatu ITM Awapuni Hurdle (3000m).
The son of Jakkalberry contested last year’s edition at just his second jumping appearance, and a narrow second placing to talented jumper Suliman indicated there was plenty more in store.
A fall in the Wellington Hurdles (3400m) in July was soon rectified when he travelled to Riccarton Park and delivered with a stunning victory in the Grand National Hurdles (4200m), his last jumping assignment in an emphatic debut season.
Legendary jumps trainer Mark Oulaghan gave Berry The Cash a pair of flat runs to prepare for Sunday’s contest, and the gelding looked ominous when taking out the Jumper’s Highweight (2200m) at Woodville earlier in May, as reflected by his $2.60 favouritism in the Awapuni Hurdle.
A competitive field of nine assembled for the feature, and the main dangers to Berry The Cash were tipped to be relative newcomer Oxygen, and eye-catching speedster English Gambler, sitting at $4 and $6.20 respectively.
Combining with regular rider Portia Matthews, who already claimed the first on the card in a catch-ride aboard Jo Rathbone’s Torque Time, Berry The Cash attacked the opening fences before settling fourth-last, while English Gambler assumed his customary role as a rolling front-runner.
The leading margin diminished swiftly heading into the second lap, with Country Bumpkin taking over as Berry The Cash began to travel very comfortably into contention, swooping to the lead at the 700m and leaving many flat-footed.
Oxygen misjudged the second-last fence dislodging Shaun Fannin, while a game Lord Spencer and Taika chased hard behind Berry The Cash, but they were no match for the seven-year-old as he stormed in under little pressure from Matthews, the final margin 4 ½ lengths.
Oulaghan had anticipated the Soft 6 track may not be an ideal match for Berry The Cash, but was pleased to see it didn’t hinder his chances.
“We knew he was reasonably fit, but I did think the track could have been a fraction fast for him and had they run the race at Wellington, it may have suited him better,” he said.
“As it turned out, it didn’t seem to matter and he acquitted himself very well.
“He seems to be going from strength to strength, it was his first season of hurdling last year and he ended up pretty much on top.
“His first run back today was really good considering the conditions, so he hopefully could be another top-liner in the making.
“The obvious step now is going to the Waikato Hurdles in the middle of June, then we’ll see how he gets through it before looking beyond that.”
With five victories from 26 starts under his belt, Berry The Cash has earned $157,600 in stakes for Oulaghan and the remainder of his ownership group.