Berry on the top

When Berriesandcherries scored in the Listed $27,000 Our Overanova Trotters Marathon at Albion Park in March, it was the culmination of many things.

After being transferred to the stables of Brendan Barnes, the pair combined to maintain their perfect record together following their first encounter three years ago when scoring at Bendigo.

Back then, it was a fleeting visit to Melbourne for Barnes to visit his grandparents, who raced the talented trotting mare along with breeders, Andrew and Suzanne Daniels (of Calderwood Stud fame), and opted for him to drive the mare in the nondescript Bendigo event.

Barnes’ grandparents, Geoff and Lorraine Barnes, operate Balmain Lodge at Tatura, near Shepparton, and have been involved in harness racing for decades mainly through the stud side of the industry but have also raced several handy types over the journey.

Their list of contacts runs deep throughout the world and the pair still have shares in many horses including Berriesandcherries, a mare previously under the care of Donna Castles.

During her time in Victoria, Berriesandcherries achieved solid success with 14 victories, including the Wedderburn and Wangaratta Cups, and earnings well above $100,000.

Berriesandcherries registered victories at Bendigo (twice), Cobram (twice), Maryborough (twice), Shepparton (three times), Echuca, Wedderburn and Wangaratta while also scoring twice at the home of harness racing in Victoria, Melton.

Feature race placings include the Cobram, Boort, Echuca and St Arnaud Cups plus the Breed for Speed Silver Series Final.

So, with excellent credentials, what brought about the change for Berriesandcherries? Well, it was a combination of a few things.

“My grandparents have been keen to send me a horse for some time but the timing has never been quite right. That all changed when Gemma (Hewitt) and I invested into a property at Haigslea (west of Brisbane) which gave us more space and freedom,” Barnes explained.

“We moved in back in March and Suzy (Berriesandcherries) was one of the first horses to arrive, but it wasn’t without dramas. We had Cyclone Alfred around that time and her trip north was a little delayed after being held over in Sydney while the weather event passed through up here.”

But there was another significant reason for switching states for Berriesandcherries.

The announcement from Racing Queensland and the Albion Park Harness Racing Club hosting the Inter Dominions for the next three years was also pivotal.

The Inter Dominion Trotting Championship carries prize money of $500,000 and will be staged throughout July.

“Yes, the Inter Dominion was another key factor so, in many ways, it was a perfect storm in making the decision of sending her up. The timing was right in many ways,” Barnes said.

“When she arrived, I couldn’t get over how well she looked. She presented in such good order, and it made my job a lot easier in getting her readied for the Marathon first-up. Donna (Castles) deserves huge kudos for that victory.

“Ideally, I would’ve loved another week with her before the Marathon, but I was quietly confident she would perform at her best. Once she landed the front-line, I thought we would receive a great trip, and it played out perfectly.”

With a Queensland trotting feature secured at her first start in the Sunshine State, connections will continue to plot their path towards the July series.

The win also provided Barnes with his biggest success as a trainer. The 27-year-old has focused mainly on his race driving which has netted Group 1 glory plus more than 1000 lifetime wins to date while only preparing small numbers as a trainer.

The best performer for Barnes as a trainer includes the very speedy Pacific Drums, a winner of seven races during his career. But could his latest acquisition be his best?

“It was a perfect start to her campaign; everyone was super excited and grabbing a feature immediately takes some pressure off given that only 24 trotters will be competing throughout the Inter Dominion,” he said

“At this point we’ll just keep her here in Brisbane. There’s the option of taking her down to Menangle for the feature mares’ event but that carries risks, so it’s unlikely although nothing is set in stone at this stage.

“It’s impressive how quickly she’s adapted to her new surroundings. It’s almost like she’s been here before. Her routine is pretty straightforward, and she loves getting in the dam - she’d go in straight in with her rug on - so we changed that. Now she goes for paddock time without the rug, she swims and gets some sun on her back.”

For many, it’s little wonder that Berriesandcherries can trot like she does; her pedigree is exceptional.

A daughter of Crazed (by Credit Winner), a winner of nine races from his 19 career starts while banking over $1 million in stakes and from the grand producing mare Meredith Castle, a daughter of Poetry.

Family members include La Coocaracha (23 wins), Dance Craze (24 wins), The Locomotive (24 wins), La Grange (11 wins), Reina Danzante (eight wins), Mataderos (14 wins), La Biscuit (nine wins), Blake Castle (43 wins), Pentameter (14 wins) and Rivertalk (13 wins) among others.

She ranks as a half-sister to eight winners including Man Of Art (11 wins), Its Girl Power (10 wins), Western Castle (one win), Iona Grinner (23 wins), Garland Greene (19 wins), Dream Inception (six wins), Destrier (four wins) and Aquila Castello (two wins).

Interestingly, the first three winners were pacers while most of the remaining winners have trotted to success.

The exception is the most recent winner Aquila Castello, who was bred to trot but paces.

Garland Greene was a great performer in Queensland under the care of Stephen Cini. All 19 victories were recorded at Albion Park, but incidentally he was unplaced in both attempts at the Marathon.

Iona Grinner was no stranger to Barnes. They combined 16 times for two victories including the 2018 Group 3 Hammerhead Mile at Menangle. But just like Garland Greene, Iona Grinner was also unplaced at her only attempt at the Marathon.

So Berriesandcherries has the wood on her older siblings.

But here’s hoping the pinnacle moment is still to come for connections.