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Berry targets 2026 Sydney Cup success aboard Soul Of Spain

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Tommy Berry has voiced his strong interest in riding the upwardly mobile stayer Soul Of Spain in the Sydney Cup, actively seeking the partnership and committing long-term through the autumn series.

This decision is paying dividends already, with the Chris Waller-conditioned gelding even-money favourite alongside others for April’s two-mile prize, and presenting a viable upset possibility in Saturday’s elite weight-for-age Tancred Stakes (2400m) at Rosehill.

The previous Irish raider emerged prominently in spring via successive confidence-building wins in Queensland, followed by a win in the Newcastle Cup (2300m) and second spot in the Metropolitan (2400m).

He has turned heads with powerful late surges at his latest two starts, placing sixth to champion Autumn Glow second-up in February’s Verry Elleegant Stakes (1600m), then runner-up to Vauban alone in the March 14 Sky High Stakes (2000m).

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Berry remains excited by the gelding’s displays and indicates the Tancred Stakes weights could be challenging, yet the rise to 2400m will favour Soul Of Spain en route to richer targets.

“Obviously, the step up to 2400 metres is going to suit on the way to a Sydney Cup . . . although, he’s got to meet some pretty handy horses at around the same weight,” Berry said.

“Last ‘prep’ he was doing things on raw ability when he was coming through the grades, but he is a lot more seasoned.

“Chris Waller got to travel him a little bit last preparation, up in Queensland and back to Sydney, and usually that’s very good for stayers. He has come back a more professional racehorse, and he’s got a really good turn of speed.”

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A Tancred Stakes triumph would be gratifying according to Berry, but he deems the fixture ideal seasoning for Soul Of Spain’s Sydney Cup campaign, as the five-year-old benefits from dropping to 53.5kg from 59kg in the weight-for-age race on Saturday for the handicap.

“He’s ready to take the next step and Chris always uses a method getting to his grand finals, and the race on Saturday is one he’s used previously to get his better horses to a Sydney Cup,” he said.

Discover betting sites with the best racing odds for the Sydney Cup.

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Roger Penske’s NASCAR driver says new horsepower will shake up Martinsville weekend

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Team Penske’s Austin Cindric explained how NASCAR’s horsepower bump will produce extreme tire falloff at Martinsville Speedway. He expects drivers to step off the throttle to preserve rubber.

NASCAR’s 750-horsepower package at Darlington led to 16 lead changes among eight drivers. Many drivers praised the package for its passing ability, but maintained that the front-end nose wash was still a predominant struggle. Joey Logano, in particular, wanted more tire falloff for better racing.

The onus is now upon Goodyear to deliver the right balance between degradation and durability. The last time Goodyear brought softer sets was at Bristol, where tire wear and corded sets produced a chaotic race.

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Cindric believes in a similar occurrence at Martinsville this year.

“We’ve trended over the last few years of going to tires that definitely wear out more and more at Martinsville,” he said via X/SiriusXM,”On top of that, now we’re adding adding the power and you know, there were times last year Martinsville where you start to get a full throttle as the right rear and the right front tires fall off, so I definitely think it’s going to make an impact, probably more so than maybe anywhere else.”

“We’re doing two u-turns and coming from a stop in comparison to most the places we go. So from what I did on the sim today and everything else, I think it’s definitely going to make an impact and you’re definitely going to have to be pretty nice to those tires,” Cindric added.

Austin Cindric finished among the top-5 at Darlington, making it his maiden top-10 of the season as well. His teammate Ryan Blaney finished among the podium places and took home 42 points.


Dale Earnhardt Jr. shares verdict on NASCAR’s horsepower package at Darlington

Dale Earnhardt Jr. dropped an honest take on NASCAR’s 750-horsepower package at the recently concluded Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. The Cup Series veteran believes NASCAR can ‘move forward’ with the change.

He also noted that removing downforce from underneath the car and stripping away the diffuser aided the racing product. On the latest episode of Dalr Jr. Download, Earnhardt said,

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“It didn’t do anything bad. It didn’t produce anything extraordinary. I think it’s Darlington….Goodyear’s done some great work on the tire. We had guys that were able to pass, able to make moves.”

The 293-lap event saw Tyler Reddick win his fourth trophy in six races, a feat last achieved by Bill Elliott in 1992. The 23XI Racing driver had to overcome a multitude of issues and managed to beat a dominant Brad Keselowski by more than five seconds.

Keselowski was disappointed to lose, but admitted it would’ve been worse if he had the fastest car and still came up short.