Sydney jockey Tommy Berry has won the prestigious Hong Kong Derby on Designs On Rome, a horse he hopes trainer John Moore will bring to Australia in the spring.
As Berry produced Designs On Rome to make his run, Joao Moreira got busy on stablemate Able Friend and the pair went stride for stride until Designs On Rome asserted himself in the closing stages of the Group One race.
“I thought Able Friend had me but this horses pings his ears back and doesn’t want to be beaten,” Berry said.
“I hope John brings him to Australia for the Melbourne spring. He would be hard to beat in a Cox Plate.”
Berry made a flying visit from Australia for Sunday’s meeting but will base himself in Hong Kong for after the end of the Sydney autumn carnival until the end of the season as he did last year.