By Danny Matthews
A ninja must overcome challenges, know when to strike, do it by stealth, be efficient and do it with the element of surprise.
Ninja– the three-year-old gelding – did all that in notching a near five-length victory in the Group 3 Vo Rogue Plate (1300m) at Eagle Farm and further entrenched his favouritism for the $3 million Magic Millions 3yo Guineas (1400m) at Gold Coast.
Under Tommy Berry who had not sat on the horse prior, Ninja notched his third win in five starts and Michael Freedman's plan to give the gelding a month between races after finishing third at Doomben in the Pierata Plate (1200m) on December 6 is coming together.
Ninja missed the start and was well off the pace towards the home turn.
It was then that Berry set Ninja plotting a wide course around the field and powering down the middle of the Eagle Farm straight to score by a margin and a performance as impressive as you would see over the summer.
"You always have to have Plan B but that wasn't even a Plan B for me," Tommy Berry said.
"He was so well behaved today and he stood in the gates beautifully and quiet but when the starter called 'all clear', usually the gates open not long after.
"I gave him a bit of a squeeze to jump but there was a hold-up so he hit the front of the gates.
"He took a step back and lunged out. We were hoping for an easy run today with two weeks' time in mind and he really only sprinted 500-metres."
Bookmakers have slashed Ninja's price from $4 into $2 for the Guineas on January 17.
