Opinion | Berry's character to be tested in Hong Kong

Tommy Berry’s feet finally hit the ground on Sunday, but it seems they’ve been firmly planted on terra firma and grounded in reality anyway, despite the whirlwind ride of success the youngster has enjoyed in the past few years – which was capped by an astonishing 48 hours.

Confidence will take you places, but character enables you to handle it once you get there. Berry seems to have both qualities in abundance and will need them when his riding is placed under the microscope in Hong Kong.

The 22-year-old’s personality is a unique mix. Impeccable politeness and obvious values of hard work and discipline shine through when he speaks – all qualities instilled in part by his old-school horse-trainer father. But Berry is still blessed with the modern athlete’s ability to deliver a succinct and unfiltered self-appraisal on demand. Thankfully though, he doesn’t speak in the third person.

The morning after a day when he went from being a kid who hadn’t been overseas to an international Group One jockey, Berry held court with an already enchanted local media and when asked the difference in riding style between himself and his twin brother Nathan, he delivered a refreshingly honest response.

“Maybe I'm a bit prettier on a horse” and “ride a bit more positive” than Nathan, who prefers to ride from the tail of the field, were part of the assessment, but there was also the admission he had been blessed with some lucky breaks that perhaps his brother had not been granted.

When Berry says he “wants to show people his skills” and what he is capable of in Hong Kong, it is not being arrogant, it is being self-assured. And “it” is what seems to separate many good jockeys from being among the very best. God-given talent only takes you so far.