Tommy Berry's 21-meeting stint will start on April 28

By MARTIN DOWLING

Tommy Berry is taking a big chanced in going to Hong Kong. His 21-meeting stint will start on April 28 and he will ride out the remainder of the season. In doing so, he will sacrifice the chance of winning his first Sydney jockeys' championship.

"I'm in front in the Sydney premiership at the moment, so that was something I had to consider, but it has always been a dream to ride in Hong Kong," Berry said yesterday.

"Steve Railton from the Jockey Club spoke to me about a month ago to say I was on the club's radar and to ask if I would be interested. I rang Gai and had a chat to her about leaving and she said I would still have a job if and when I came back.

"As she said, these opportunities don't come along too often. This tops off the best weekend of my life."

The son of a Sydney trainer, Berry has been riding since 2007 and was champion New South Wales apprentice in the 2009-10 season before linking with Waterhouse.

The Slipper was the fourth Group One win this season for Berry, who is closing in on 500 career wins at a strike rate of around 11 per cent and can ride at 116 pounds.