Berry smoothie secret weapon in Tommy's bid for Cup glory Want to know the price to be paid just to have a shot at that potentially life-changing three-and-a-bit minutes? A fruit smoothie and piece of fish should do the trick. That's Tommy Berry's station for 24 hours. Day in and day out, just so he can jump aboard Tres Blue, a featherweight sandwiched between international racing's heavy hitters lining up for their shot at the Melbourne Cup. Berry's recommended rations have come at the urgings of serial jockey room joker Chris Symons, whose serious side is paying off before the most serious race of all. The scraps Berry has been living on have him back among the big boys for Cup crack version 2.0. "I eat a lot of fruit and make a big smoothie in the morning and I pretty much just go on that smoothie all day," said Berry, who has shaved more than 3½ kilograms off his frame to satisfy Tres Blue's 51 kilogram impost. It's got a lot of vitamins in it and lots of fluids, so you don't have to drink too much. That pretty much lasts me all day and then I might have a bit of fish of a night. Usually when you're wasting to get ready to ride 54 [kilograms] on the weekend, you always break your diet. When you've got a Melbourne Cup ride, you stick to it pretty strict. Gai Waterhouse's newly minted No.1 rider has the proverbial blinkers on at the moment. Shunned for the ride on last year's Caulfield Cup favourite, Glencadam Gold, Berry slowed the speed to a crawl on the import in his subsequent Melbourne Cup sixth, devastating the backmarkers' Cup dreams. Fast-forward 12 months, and again Berry was the victim of Waterhouse's cruel-to-be-kind nurturing, missing out on the Cox Plate ride on Fiorente. Overlooked for Blake Shinn after Nash Rawiller's replacement, Damien Oliver, was forced to forfeit the ride, Berry will partner the baby in the Cup field, French import Tres Blue, at Flemington. "I said last year it wouldn't be the first and it won't be the last [time I get overlooked for a ride] and it happened again this year," Berry said. I copped it on the chin really well and I got supported with a Melbourne Cup ride. It's funny how things work. You can never get filthy or sour on the game. When you do get a knockback, you've just got to think about ways in which you can improve yourself so it doesn't happen again. "I feel more ready now and you thrive on the big races and winning the big races," said Berry, whose group 1 tally rests on five. It makes a big difference being able to handle the pressure. I've come a long way in the past 12 months.