Berry did not have a Wakeful ride and in a fleecy jacket to keep out the Flemington cold he stood firmly beside Sargent, while the former New Zealand and now Sydney-based trainer completed two television interviews. He left his side only after the important riding engagement was confirmed.
"Isn't racing strange?" said Sargent. "A year ago ,Tommy was gutted he couldn't ride Alamosa in the Oaks, now I'm able to get him square with that through someone else's bad luck."
It was a magnificent winning ride by Blake Shinn. A fierce head wind on Saturday played right against horses racing in the open up the home straight and Shinn kept Thunder Lady cuddled up and protected behind a wall of horses until the 200m, before clearing a pocket and charging past the leaders.
It will be a real accomplishment if Sargent can win the Wakeful/Oaks double in successive years, particularly as Thunder Lady went into Saturday's group two event as a maiden.
At her previous start she had been beaten into third in an 1850m Newcastle maiden.
"I've always rated her," said Sargent of the Hong Kong-owned filly, "and all she's needed is more ground. She'll love the 2400m of the Oaks."
Sargent says people think he's strange for wanting to continually train large teams of temperamental fillies.
"I enjoy the challenge. You can gallop your colts as often as you like, but you can't do that with fillies and I love working around that."
Sargent was confident Alamosa would complete the double 12 months ago and was happy to declare the same sentiments around Thunder Lady.
