Berry rallies to Olympic cause

PATRICK TOOHER

Jack Berry has a great track record of producing the equine equivalents of Linford Christie or Alan Wells. But unlike Mind Games, Paris House or his numerous other flying machines, the Cockerham trainer's latest sprinting star has yet to a see a jockey in silks let alone show a decent turn of foot on the track.

The horse is Olympic Spirit, a two-year-old filly that has already achieved celebrity status even before the stalls open on the new Flat season on turf.

Showing a maturity beyond her years, the filly has spent recent months making guest appearances around the country to raise funds for the British team competing in this summer's Olympic Games in Atlanta.

The response has been very encouraging. Branches of William Hill and Midland Bank, which is sponsoring the British Olympic Appeal, have sold over 200,000 tickets for a draw at Doncaster today which will have as its top prize a stake in the filly worth at least pounds 10,000.

"After she made a personal appearance at the Midland Bank in Lancaster the branch ran out of tickets and had to order some more," Berry recalls.

The draw, to be televised by Channel Four, is expected to raise more than pounds 200,000 towards the pounds 4m needed for transport, equipment and medical back-up for the Olympic team.

The winner will own the filly for a season and have all fees and stable visits paid.

Raffle rules mean the maximum prize is capped at pounds 25,000, which raises the prospect of what might happen if Olympic Spirit sprouts wings and lands a really valuable event. "The excess prize-money would probably go to the appeal fund," Hood believes, "but we don't dream of winning the Cherry Hinton."

Whether or not Olympic Spirit reaches such heights, Berry is confident that his stable jockey, John Carroll, will be steering the juvenile towards the winner's enclosure before long. "She's a very sharp filly by the same sire as Mind Games. She's going well and I like her a lot."

One thing is for sure. Having already paid a celebrity visit to Cheltenham -where she became the first two-year-old ever to enter the winner's enclosure -Olympic Spirit's highly unusual pre-season preparation means she should be used to the hustle and bustle of a racecourse.