Sydney's premiership-winning apprentice Tommy Berry ended the season in style at Rosehill on Saturday by claiming his 50th metropolitan winner in the day's feature race on One More Grand.The Neville Layt-trained colt started at $81 in The Rosebud Quality (1200m) but Berry took him to the front and he was able to hold his rivals at bay to win by a short neck.Queanbeyan-based Layt wasn't on track to celebrate the victory but part-owner Glenn Williams was thrilled with the win by the horse they nea
Sydney's premiership-winning apprentice Tommy Berry ended the season in style at Rosehill on Saturday by claiming his 50th metropolitan winner in the day's feature race on One More Grand.
The Neville Layt-trained colt started at $81 in The Rosebud Quality (1200m) but Berry took him to the front and he was able to hold his rivals at bay to win by a short neck.
Queanbeyan-based Layt wasn't on track to celebrate the victory but part-owner Glenn Williams was thrilled with the win by the horse they nearly didn't purchase.
One More Grand went for $35,000 at the Scone Sale last year, about $10,000 more than Layt had anticipated.
"Neville thought the colt would go for $20,000 to $25,000 but the bidding went past that figure," Williams said.
"Someone went to $34,000 and Neville asked me what I wanted to do.
"I said 'let's go one more grand'.
"When we got the horse I said to Neville, 'that's his name - One More Grand'."
One More Grand defeated Biggietupac ($61) with Queensland visitor Liesele ($19) three-quarters of a length away third.
In winning The Rosebud, Berry became just the fourth apprentice in the past 30 years to ride 50 metropolitan winners or more in a season in Sydney.
"I got to 50 winners which is awesome," Berry said.
"It's been an unbelievable season and to get 50 winners as an apprentice is a great achievement."
The 19-year-old didn't have the greatest book of rides on paper heading into Saturday's season-ending meeting but revealed his father Kevin gave him plenty of words of encouragement on race morning.
"He told me I'd do it," Berry said.
"He said to me this morning, 'I know you don't have the best book of rides but you'll do it because you'll go out there and ride with confidence'."
Berry said it was a big thrill to win for Layt and the colt's connections.
"To do it for these owners and trainer from Queanbeyan is unbelievable because they appreciate it more than anything," he said.
"I have slaughtered this horse a couple of times in the past, ridden bad races on him a couple of times, but they've stuck with me and I've stuck with them so it's been great to win today."
The disappointment of the race was the Gai Waterhouse-trained favourite Crossbow ($1.80) who finished seventh after being slow out of the barriers.
Crossbow was ridden to take up a forward position but weakened in the straight and was beaten almost six lengths.
Nash Rawiller told stewards Crossbow "wasn't the same horse" that had raced at Rosehill two weeks earlier and may have had enough.
It was the premiership-winning jockey's final ride of a memorable season as he was stood down from his later mounts at the Rosehill meeting due to illness.