It says something about the longevity of Jack Berry that he took out his trainer’s licence in 1969 and was still training winners after the turn of the new millennium. He became known as the ‘king of the two-year-olds’ thanks to his ability to get the very best out of that age group of racehorses. He would go on to boast at least five seasons with more than 100 winners, with some of his most noteworthy horses being Paris House, Rosselli, Sellhurstpark Flyer and Bolshoi.
If not known for his work training horses, Berry’s reputation would be that of a man who spent his life raising money for charities, helping countless in the industry through the Jack Berry House for the Injured Jockey Fund. The Rehabilitation & Fitness Centre was opened in North Yorkshire by the Princess Royal in 2015, whilst he also worked to raise money for Oaksey House.
About
Jack Berry’s career in the world of racing began when he worked as a stable lad, eventually progressing in order to become a jockey in his own right. Jack enjoyed great results in the saddle, soon becoming something of a ‘journeyman’ jockey. He once described his attitude as ‘have saddle, will travel’. Having performed well over the jumps, he decided to become a flat racing trainer in 1969, gaining his licence and going into that side of the sport. Over the years that followed, he hollowed himself out a niche in training two-year-olds, buying them cheap and working to get them fit.
At the time that Berry began to make a name for himself, there were plenty of races for young horses to run in, including the likes of sellers and claimers. He took the attitude of being willing to work hard to get them ready, setting them up well to win. Win they did, allowing his reputation as a top-class trainer to grow. His yard in Cockerham, Lancashire, saw horses passing through it on a regular basis, with O I Oyston being the one that Berry himself remembered the most fondly. Having paid just £2,600 for him, riding him every day and treating him like a pet, keeping him after retirement.
Never afraid of hard work, that might best be represented in the wake of Berry’s retirement as a trainer in 2000. He worked with the Injured Jockey Fund to ensure that riders who picked up an injury during their careers would be able to be rehabilitated. His own son, Sam, had been paralysed when falling in 1985 at Segefield Racecourse, whilst the injury suffered by Paddy Farrell on Border Flight in the Grand National is thought of as being the inspiration behind his decision to set up the Fund. Known for his red shirts on the racecourse, he was a much-loved figure in the sport.
Major Successes
Whilst a lot of Berry’s wins that earned him such a sterling reputation as a trainer of two-year-olds came in lesser races, he was the winner of some big-name events during his training career. There is little doubt that it was more about the numbers game for Berry than it was about targeting the main races that other trainers would be happy to win, often taking home races with names such as the ‘August Claiming Stakes’. Here are some of the races that Berry did manage to win during his time in the yard:
- Ayr Gold Cup
- Norfolk Stakes
- Palace House Stakes
- Temple Stakes
Horses Trained
87 year old Jack Berry has been inducted into the Horse Racing Hall of Fame. Jack, who was a jockey & then a trainer, has dedicated decades to raising money for injured jockeys and in 2015 a rehabilitation centre was opened in Malton North Yorkshire called Jack Berry House. pic.twitter.com/vcFhI79ktb
— Victoria Whittam (@vicwhittamITV) September 26, 2024
As mentioned, Berry seemed to approach training horses more as a numbers game than a thing that required him to look for winners of the biggest races with laser-like focus. As a result, there are countless horses that went through his yard during his time as a trainer, taking part in flat races up and down the country. Here are some of the best-known horses that Berry trained during his career:
Mind Games
Arguably the most successful horse to train under Jack Berry was Mind Games, who became noticed in 1995 when he won the Brocklesby Stakes. Across four seasons, Mind Games raced 20 times and won seven events, initially remaining unbeaten. In fact, if you look at the list of races that Berry is associated with above, you will soon realise that the majority of them were won by Mind Games. The Group 3 Norfolk Stakes was a big one, as was the Group 2 Temple Stakes that he won ‘easily’ the first time and then defended a year later. Other than winning a Group 1 event, he did almost everything he could.
Palace House
You would be forgiven for thinking that the Palace House Stakes was named in honour of Palace House, considering how often races are named after horses. In reality, however, the Group 3 Palace House Stakes is run at Newmarket every year, taking its name from the building on the site of Newmarket that the horse was also named after. Palace House’s speed was part of the reason why Berry earned a reputation as a jockey who could train horses to run incredibly quickly, going on to become one of the best horses that Berry trained during his career.
Bolshoi
Bolshoi was a horse that Berry once referred to as being ‘not bad’, which might well be a major understatement. He won 20 times on the flat, including two Stakes, earning Berry more than half a million in prize money. Although he dropped off towards the end of his career, somewhat understandably, he was a horse that initially helped to earn Berry his reputation as someone who could work well with two-year-olds to make them amongst the best in class at a certain level.
