She has had gate issues this season and was a late scratching at the barrier two weeks ago at Rosehill before making a triumphant return there on Saturday to blitz her rivals in the ASX Refinitiv Charity Foundation H.
Lucicello was in a much better pre-race space and with the barrier blanket on for the first time she strolled into the gates and jumped well enough.
“Full credit to Chris and his team and the barrier staff, she’s a work in progress but every time they’ve sent her out there she’s got better and better,” Berry said.
“She was in a great frame of mind and from the time I got on her was working with her and whatever she wanted to do I had to go along with it.”
Lucicello was given plenty of time to settle and she had all runners ahead of her near the turn before Berry angled her across heels and into the clear.
“She was very impressive and relaxed well out the back. When I asked her to go she put the field away very quickly. She’s on to bigger and better things,” he said.
“When I asked her to go she put the field away very quickly. She’s on to bigger and better things.” – Tommy Berry.
The grey lengthened stride stylishly to romp home with a minimum of effort from Not Feint Hearted (Not A Single Doubt), who hit the front 250 metres from home, and Belitsa (Rubick) made up ground for third.
“She’ll go a lot further and the connections and Chris gave me a lot of confidence and said just to get her to switch off,” Berry said.
Tommy Berry believes Lucicello is on to bigger and better things
“Even when they were going along quickly I didn’t rush to be on the back of them. I knew at some stage they would have to come back to us and when they did come back she was able to come back to me as well.
“It’s a big step in her career and days like this can give her plenty of confidence to go forward.”
Lucicello has now won two of her four starts and her only unplaced run was on debut when eighth in the G3 Widden S. back in the summer.
Pedigree notes
She was a $190,000 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale purchase out of Middlebrook Valley Lodge’s draft by Anton Koolman, who remains in the ownership syndicate which also includes Debbie Kepitis and Arthur and Charlotte Inglis.
Lucicello as a yearling
Lucicello boasts a strong international pedigree and is out of Lucciola (Ire) (Verglas {Ire}), who was successful 11 times and was stakes placed in the Listed Warrnambool Cup.
The dam is out of a three-quarter sister to the multiple Group 1 winner and former champion European stayer and champion turf male in the United States Conduit (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}) and a half-sister to the mother of G1 Mackinnon S. winner Glass Harmonium (Ire) (Verglas {Ire}).
It is also the family of the G1 Woodbine EP Taylor S. winner Blond Me (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}), the G2 Great Voltigeur S. winner Hard Top (Ire) (Darshaan {GB}) and the dual Group 3 winner Arab Spring (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}).
