Tommy Berry catches rivals napping as Caballus dominates in George Moore Stakes at Doomben
A week after missing out in the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes, Caballus delivered the perfect remedy for trainer Bjorn Baker with an emphatic victory in the George Moore Stakes at Doomben.
Just a week after narrowly missing out on Group 1 glory in Perth, Sydney trainer Bjorn Baker took out the Group 3 George Moore Stakes in Brisbane thanks to a peach of a ride from Tommy Berry on Caballus.
Baker’s Overpass had fallen agonisingly short in the Winterbottom Stakes in Perth, losing a thriller to Libertad.
The wound was still fresh, but Berry and Caballus were about to deliver the perfect remedy in the $200,000 sprint at Doomben.
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Baker was watching the 1200m race at Musket Cove Island Resort in Fiji and although the phone reception wasn’t the best, he knew Caballus would win about 100m from the finishing post.
“It stopped-started when I was watching the race and when it paused, he was three lengths in front with 100 to go so I thought ‘they’re going to struggle to beat him’,” a jubilant Baker said from Fiji.
“To win a Group 3 race in the George Moore is very special and it was a great ride from Tommy Berry. We’ve had a really good association with him this year.”
Baker’s Overpass went down in a thriller last weekend in the west to Libertad in the Winterbottom Stakes but Berry was never going to lose this one for the charismatic Kiwi trainer.
“It wasn’t quite the plan to do that (lead from the front) but Tommy dictated and dominated and when you do that, you make it count,” Baker said.
“I know Tommy has always held this horse in very high esteem.
“From that point of view I knew we had a confident rider and if you need one to overcome that gate (10) then he’s your man.”
Caballus makes a mess of them in the George Moore Stakes! 🔥@TommyBerry21 and @BBakerRacing combine! 🤠pic.twitter.com/7NPhIdmJW4
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) December 6, 2025
Tony Gollan’s $3.10 favourite Hidden Wealth finished fourth, with stablemate Pereille ($9) a distant runner-up and Cosmic Fire in third.
It brought an end to Gollan’s astonishing streak after he had won the previous four editions of the George Moore Stakes.
Berry said he was surprised that Caballus was not favourite when the gates jumped.
“It was the last place we expected to be but you’ve got to ride the horse how he jumps and he flew the gates,” Berry said.
“I thought there would be more speed in the race but they were all just having a look at each other and I thought ‘ah well, I’ll take it up’.
“I knew I was on the best horse all week and I was surprised that he wasn’t the favourite.
“I know how good Hidden Wealth is, and he was brilliant the other day (winning the Swiss Ace Plate on the Sunshine Coast).
“But this guy, he was on the back-up in Melbourne (in the Group 1 VRC Champions Sprint) where he was disappointing on a heavy track.
“He’s had a month in between runs, a nice freshen-up, and I knew on the way to the gates that he was on.”
Heathcote scratched Prince Of Boom about 2½ hours before the George Moore Stakes, telling stewards “these firm tracks are inexcusable”.
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Originally published as Tommy Berry catches rivals napping as Caballus dominates in George Moore Stakes at Doomben
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