Jockey Tommy Berry can't wait to get to opening of Manchester 'racing' brewery

A racing-themed craft beer brewery linked to jockey Tommy Berry and cricketer David Warner is set to branch out to Manchester next year.

The St Andrews Beach Brewery on the Mornington Peninsula offers beers with racing names, including 6 Furlongs, Barrier Trial and The Farrier, and is based on the site where Lee Freedman trained three-time Melbourne Cup heroine Makybe Diva.

There is even a tip to the star mare herself with a beer named Box 54 – the stable in which she was housed at the former stables.

Those stables have been turned into dining suites and a new brewery will be based in the St John’s development in Manchester by the middle of next year.

Berry, who rides Golden Eagle favourite Brutal at Rosehill on Saturday and Youngstar in next Tuesday's Melbourne Cup, said: “I’ve been involved in the brewery for around three years and it’s something I thoroughly enjoy being a part of. It’s a cool setup in the middle of the old training course with the racing links to the beer names.

"The colours on ‘The Apprentice’ beer have the initials of my late brother on them, so that’s quite special to me.

“I’ll more than likely go to the opening in Manchester but if not I’ll be there not long after. I can’t wait to get over there and have a look at it.”

A beer table in Makybe Diva's stall at St Andrews Beach Brewery

The brewery team, including co-owner Andrew Purchase, have worked closely with property developers Allied London to find the perfect plot in Britain.

Purchase said: “We’re all very excited about the venture. A good opportunity arose with the Allied London team and the proposed site is amazing.

“It’s a pretty unique offering at the Melbourne Cup-winning stables over here and has proved popular.”

Kah: I’d love to go back for Shergar Cup

Jamie Kah was in winning form on Manikato Stakes night and Cox Plate day at Moonee Valley and is a jockey who will be familiar to British racing fans.

The two-time Group 1-winning rider participated in this year’s Shergar Cup – her first time riding in Britain – and was bowled over by the Ascot experience despite being out of luck, particularly in the opening Dash when denied by a nose aboard runner-up Final Venture.

Jamie Kah: 'It was an amazing experience and the setting of the track is fantastic.'Credit: Racing Photos

Kah said: “I loved riding at the Shergar Cup. The style of racing in Britain is fantastic and every horse gets their chance – that’s something we should adopt in Australia by having bigger tracks and ground that rides a bit softer. They looked after me really well and I’d love to go back next year.

“They had just had Royal Ascot a couple of months previous so I wasn’t expecting that much of a crowd, but it was a big event and really well supported.

“It was an amazing experience and the setting of the track is fantastic – it would have been lovely to have ridden a winner though.”

Meeting the sport's stars

One of the most racegoer-friendly features at tracks in Australia is the open nature of the stables – known as stalls.

The debate in how to boost racing’s popularity rumbles on but what better way to get casual racegoers interested in the sport by allowing them to get within close quarters of the stars of the industry.

Racecards helpfully list the stable numbers for each runner on the card and racegoers are able to interact with the stable staff who know the horses best and take photos of the horses.

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