Stewards suspend and fine Tommy Berry $10,000 for winning ride in the 2024 Big Dance

Star hoop Tommy Berry has been suspended and fined $10,000 for his winning ride aboard Gringotts in Tuesday’s Big Dance at Randwick.

Tommy Berry copped a hefty fine and was suspended following his winning ride aboard Gringotts. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Stewards have handed down a $10,000 fine and suspended star hoop Tommy Berry for his winning ride aboard Gringotts in Tuesday’s $3 million Big Dance (1600m) at Randwick.

Berry produced a bit of magic to get the Ciaron Maher-trained galloper across from a wide barrier in the early stages of Randwick’s feature on Melbourne Cup day but an incident at the 1300m mark caught the stewards’ attention.

The fine comes only a few days after international hoop Cieren Fallon was fined $100,000 and suspended for a month for his winning ride aboard Lake Forest in the Golden Eagle.

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Antonio Orani was hit with a $30,000 fine in the same race – both on careless riding charges.

They handed down a careless riding charge to Berry for allowing his mount to shift in ahead of Ducasse in that horse’s rightful running line.

Berry pleaded guilty to the charge.

Gringotts banks a win as he races away in the $3 Million Big Dance at Randwick, with @TommyBerry21 in the saddle for @cmaherracing who quinella's the race! 💃 🕺@aus_turf_clubpic.twitter.com/wquEnrZhK1

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) November 5, 2024

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“T. Berry (Gringotts) pleaded guilty to a charge of careless riding under AR131(a) in that near the 1300m he permitted his mount to shift in at an acute angle across the rightful running of Ducasse, which was checked,” the stewards’ report read.

“T. Berry’s licence to ride in races was suspended for a period to commence on Sunday 9 November 2024 and to expire on Friday 22 November 2024, on which day he may ride.

“T. Berry was also fined $10,000. In assessing penalty stewards had regard to the high degree of carelessness and the status of this race.”

Tommy Berry produced a pearler aboard Gringotts in the Big Dance but copped a fine for his troubles. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

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Jockey Christian Reith was also suspended on a careless riding charge in the sixth race on the card when aboard Melody Again.

Reith’s suspension starts on November 12 and carries through to November 16.

Originally published as Stewards suspend and fine Tommy Berry $10,000 for winning ride in the 2024 Big Dance