A gifted rider, Tommy Berry has seen many ups and downs, including the loss of his twin brother, Nathan

At 32 Tommy Berry is just coming into what promises to be his most productive years. His win tally already exceeds 1500 including an impressive 39 at Gr 1 level. He’s come a long way since the day in Riley’s Paddock near Warwick Farm racecourse. Eventually, Kevin Berry decided to take out a trainer’s licence for no other reason than to apprentice Tommy and twin brother Nathan. The boys quickly became part of the Warwick Farm scene and endeared themselves to many local trainers. Tom had his first ride in December 2006 finishing with the tailenders on the Mitchell Hudson trained Adversity at Hawkesbury. Just five months later he was in the winner’s circle at Newcastle on Hunter Ruby trained by his dad, and would win another two races on the mare over the next few weeks. The horse to propel young Berry to the big stage was the flying filly Karuta Queen from the Canberra stable of Neville Layt. Tom rode the daughter of Not A Single Doubt in all but two of her twenty starts for six notable wins, including the 2011 Magic Millions Classic. In the autumn of 2013 a special filly came into his life by the name of Overreach who raced only six times for three wins and three placings for $2.3 million dollars, including the Golden Slipper.

Tommy is one of the stars of the Australian jockey ranks who has an incredible ability to bring the best out of his mounts.  Berry’s first Group 1 win came aboard Epaulette in 2012, followed by an Epsom Handicap on Fat Al and Glencadem in thr Metropolitan Handicap. Other Group 1 successes soon followed, piloting horses such as Interference, Tavago, Sacred Falls, and of course his amazing association with the ‘Grey Flash’ Chautauqua, winning 4 Group 1’s together in both Australia and Hong Kong. Berry has also enjoyed success overseas with multiple stints in Hong Kong, where legend has it in 2013, he touched down, stepped off the plane, and just hours later rode Military Attack to Group 1 success in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup.

It’s largely forgotten that Tom had two rides on budding superstar Winx during the great mare’s three year old days. He can claim one win in the Phar Lap Stakes of 2015, and an unlucky fifth in the Vinery Stud Stakes.

Champion Sydney jockey Tommy Berry believed an eight-month ban from riding helped him finally come to terms with the death of his twin brother. Nathan died in 2014 at the age of 23, after collapsing in Singapore and being placed in an induced coma due to a rare condition (Norse Syndrome) related to epilepsy. The pair were two of the most popular and likeable jockeys in the sport before the tragedy, which left surviving twin Tommy distraught but determined to honour his late brother by continuing to race. Berry was found guilty in a tips-for-benefits scandal in which prominent Gold Coast punter Zaid Miller deposited $15,000 into the bank account of the jockey's mother.

On return to the track in 2023, Berry set about staging a serious comeback by winning the Gimrick Stakes with Manaal. Tommy has always been one to spread himself around on trackwork duty and has quickly returned to that format. He’s at Rosehill on Saturday and Monday mornings for Chris Waller, and at Randwick on Tuesdays for Michael Freedman, Team Snowden, John O’Shea and Anthony Cummings. Thursdays find him at Rosehill riding work for Team Hawkes while he makes an effort to attend Warwick Farm on Friday mornings for Greg Hickman and Anabel Neasham.