Sights lowered with luckless Berkeley
Dan O’Sullivan resisted the temptation to chase a guaranteed berth in this year’s Caulfield Cup with Berkeley Square via the Mornington Cup last Saturday and he hopes to be rewarded this weekend.
The Ballarat trainer has instead directed his interference-prone gelding to the $175,000 VOBIS Gold Heath (2000m) on the Victorian Owners and Breeders Raceday at Caulfield.
The four-year-old son of Territories added another hard-luck story to his career when a 1-1/2-length fifth in the 2000-metre Easter Cup and O’Sullivan thought he was not yet ready for 2400m and just wants to see him given every chance at Caulfield.
“If he’d had two 2000-metre runs I probably would have gone to Mornington, but he’s only had one,” O’Sullivan said.
“So I’ll go one more in the VOBIS race and hopefully it’s a big field and we don’t get in any trouble.”
Berkeley Square is one of 19 entries for the set-weights-and-penalties VOBIS Gold Heath, with last-start Golden Mile winner El Soleado headlining his list of potential rivals.
The Group 3 Easter Cup was Berkeley Square’s fourth run of the campaign and followed a second placing to Young Werther in the 1800m Australian Cup Prelude at Flemington on March 9.
Berkeley Square has not won since the Group 2 Moonee Valley Vase (2040m) as a spring three-year-old, but O’Sullivan could not be happier with the way he’s going.
He remains confident Berkeley Square is capable of acquitting himself well in spring features, but has not looked at the calendar beyond this Saturday’s race, which will be the 17th of his career.
“I think he’s going very, very good – he should have won the Group 3 the other day – so we probably should be aiming a bit higher, but we’ve just got to get a result,” O’Sullivan said.
“I haven’t looked past the VOBIS Gold race, because he needs to have a break somewhere to be a spring horse, but he’s still lightly-raced, sound and he won’t need long off.
“We’ll get through the VOBIS Gold race before we lock in what we do after that.”
More Racing News
War Machine to target the 2026 Australia Stakes
Top-class sprinter War Machine will resume in the Group 2 Australia Stakes (1200m) at Pakenham on Friday night as connections eye a strong autumn campaign. The race, traditionally held at Moonee Valley, has been moved due to redevelopment works and shapes as an ideal launchpad for the Lindsay Park galloper. War Machine...
Antino to target 2026 Queen Elizabeth Stakes in the Autumn
A strong trial session at Deagon on Tuesday will be highlighted by the return of Antino as Tony Gollan begins plotting another autumn campaign for the talented gelding. Antino has not raced since his disappointing effort in the Group 1 Cox Plate, where he finished last after failing to fire on...
2026 Golden Slipper Stakes favourite Incognito nearing return to the races
The absence of Incognito from the Magic Millions 2YO Classic did little to dent his standing in Golden Slipper markets, with the colt edging closer to a raceday return. Michael Freedman elected to sidestep the Gold Coast feature with the $1 million purchase, instead opting for a controlled trial as the...
Torque To Be Sure breaks maiden in 2026 Magic Millions Guineas, survives protest
Torque To Be Sure finally lived up to his promise with a breakthrough victory in the $3 million Magic Millions 3yo Guineas, though his success came with a nervous wait in the stewards’ room. The Matthew Dunn-trained gelding drifted under pressure in the closing stages, bumping race favourite Ninja as the...
Mile no issue for Merrigold in 2026 Vobis Gold Distaff
Trainer John Sadler admitted a touch of stubbornness delayed Merrigold’s step up to 1600 metres, but the mare made him look wise with a dominant Flemington victory. The five-year-old was having her first start beyond 1400 metres and handled the rise in distance with ease when taking out the Vobis Gold...
Big Sky surges into 2026 Blue Diamond Stakes calculations
Big Sky’s dominant debut at Flemington has propelled him straight into calculations for the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m), giving Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr the top two runners in early betting. The Bivouac colt overcame a wide draw in the TAB We’re On (1000m), travelling strongly under Jordan...
Golden Slipper Stakes 2026 plans for Godolphin’s Outspan
The Godolphin-trained Outspan has thrust himself into Golden Slipper calculations after a commanding win at Rosehill on Saturday. After settling just behind the speed in the 1100m contest, the Michael Freedman-trained colt finished strongly to defeat Long Throw ($15) by 1-1/2 lengths, with Miss Chanel ($4.60) another half-length back. The performance marked...
Unit Five powers home in the 2026 Magic Millions Classic
Unit Five announced himself as a rising star with a powerful victory in the $3 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic, overcoming far more seasoned rivals despite limited race experience. The Ciaron Maher-trained colt, ridden confidently by Thomas Stockdale, held off Tornado Valley by a length, with By Choice finishing just behind...
Future History too strong in the 2026 January Cup
Future History showed his class and toughness when landing the $200,000 Listed January Cup at Rosehill, giving Ciaron Maher another feature race success. The eight-year-old almost didn’t take his place in the race after heavy rain downgraded the track, but connections elected to press on despite concerns about the conditions. Ridden positively...
Tony Gollan’s two-year-old Itching To Go in 2026 Magic Millions Classic
Tony Gollan is leaning on a proven strategy as Itchintogo lines up on a seven-day backup in the Magic Millions 2yo Classic (1200m) this Saturday. The approach has delivered strong results historically, with six winners of the $3 million race following the same path over the past 15 years. Purchased for $60,000...