Blueberry Hill earns shot at big time in Group 1 Tatts Tiara

Blueberry Hill returned to winning form at Ipswich last start. Picture: Grant Peters
Blueberry Hill returned to winning form at Ipswich last start. Picture: Grant PetersSource: Supplied
Nathan Exelby from The Courier-mail

IT was always the plan for Blueberry Hill to be a Group 1 contender as a three-year-old, even though Liam Birchley was expecting it to come a lot earlier than Saturday’s final major for the season.

Having been the standout Queensland two-year-old at last year’s winter carnival, Blueberry Hill was earmarked for the Melbourne spring, but a hamstring injury set her back six months.

Birchley had to give her a longer break than expected and even when she did recover, the injury was still affecting her mentally.

“It was affecting her confidence and she was reluctant to let go,” Birchley said. “So I had to bring her back slowly and get her confident enough to know it wasn’t going to hurt if she really stretched out. She needed that, and it was satisfying to see her back in winning form last week.”

Birchley wasn’t disappointed with the two well-beaten efforts on returning this time in, but he was expecting a better finish than the eighth in the Glenlogan Park Stud Stakes.

“I knew she was going well and I thought she was ready to do something when I put the blinkers on her in that race, but she just took off with them,” Birchley said.

“So I took them off last week and to be fair, the track really favoured her, but you still have to win and that’s what she did. She couldn’t have come through the race any better and I would like to think she can race well again here too.”

Blueberry Hill is out to restore some pride to the recent poor record of Gai Waterhouse Classic winners in the Tatts Tiara, with Real Surreal, Jazz Song and Peron all failing a week later.

But before that trio, Ipswich winners Gai’s Choice and Born To Rock both ran close-up thirds in the Tiara. Charmview came off a third at Ipswich to win the Tiara.

Birchley has a solid hand in support races on Saturday, including Beckham backing up into the Spear Chief after placing in the Eye Liner last week.

Liam Birchley will be chasing a group 1 win with Blueberry Hill on Saturday. Picture: Mike BatterhamSource: News Corp Australia

“It’s obviously another step up for him, but hopefully he can control it up front and give a good sight,” he said.

Birchley rates his best hope on the card as Hardline, who comes off a good third in the Lightning Handicap back into his own age.

“I think if the Lightning was run at Eagle Farm he would have got the cash,” he said. “I’ve got no dramas with him going to 1200m now, this looks the right race for him.”