Written by Megan Taylor, sports reporter covering international sports since 2020

Tommy Berry fine news has drawn attention in New South Wales racing after Racing NSW stewards issued the leading Sydney jockey with a $4000 penalty over misleading evidence during an inquiry involving disqualified trainer John O’Shea.

Berry pleaded guilty after stewards reviewed his comments about contact with O’Shea before Hovland’s win at Warwick Farm on June 3. Racing rules ban licensed people from speaking with disqualified persons about racing-related matters.

For more racing news, read Frankie Dettori Car Accident Leaves Racing Great In Hospital With Broken Ribs, while official Australian racing integrity updates are available through Racing NSW.

Stewards Reduce Penalty

Racing NSW stewards initially set Berry’s penalty at $6000. That was reduced to $4000 after taking into account his guilty plea and other factors.

Berry’s legal representative, Wayne Pasterfield, told stewards the calls to O’Shea were made ‘as a welfare check just the same as when people were checking in on Tommy during his disqualification a few years ago’.

Pasterfield said Berry’s answers were ‘misleading because he thought the questions were about whether he had spoken to him about racing matters.’ He also called Berry a ‘breath of fresh air to racing, a person who everyone loves, an ornament to the sport’.

No Further Action On Contact

‘He gives his time to sick kids and countless hours of voluntary assistance at fund-raising events,’ Pasterfield told the stewards.

Stewards also looked at whether O’Shea had breached his disqualification and whether Berry had contacted him to discuss thoroughbred racing matters. They found communication had occurred on days when Berry rode horses formerly trained by O’Shea, but said they ‘could not be satisfied there was sufficient evidence to establish there was a breach to the requisite standard, accordingly, no further action was taken in respect of those matters’.

Berry’s Season And O’Shea Ban

Berry is currently on holiday with his wife, Sharnee, and their children after a strong 2026 season. He finished with 68 wins, placing him third in the Sydney jockeys’ premiership behind James McDonald, who had 88.

O’Shea received a four-month disqualification after conduct-related charges linked to the scratching of Bev’s Nine at Rosehill Gardens. His ban is scheduled to end this month.