Fairytale return for comeback Pride Of Jenni
Comeback queen Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) made a sensational return to racing with a typically dashing display in the Peter Young Stakes (Gr 2, 1800m) at Caulfield.
The mighty mare, who endeared herself to the public with a series of freewheeling performances, added an unlikely chapter to a book which had appeared to be closed when she was retired from racing last spring.
After she bled in the Champions Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) at Flemington last November, owner Tony Ottobre drew the curtain on a decorated career which had yielded nine wins – including three at Group 1 level – and more than $10 million in prize-money.
But in an extraordinary twist which even Hollywood scriptwriters might have baulked at, Ottobre and his wife Lynn sent Pride Of Jenni back to Ciaron Maher’s stables to continue her racing career, and their decision was entirely vindicated when she once again ran her rivals ragged under Craig Newitt on Saturday.
Zardozi (Kingman), winner of the 2023 VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m), ran home in second for James Cummings and Jamie Melham, but she was no match for a mare described by Maher’s assistant trainer Jack Turnbull as ‘a freak of nature’.
“This win is right up there,” Turnbull added.
“It’s a Group 2, but just the build-up to this race and obviously after what she’d done to herself in the spring, it’s just an amazing team effort to get her back.
“We’re very thankful to Tony and Lynn for giving us that opportunity. We had a lot of information on her, a lot of workouts and the like to compare her to. We gave her two workouts that were pretty tough by our standards, and she just bounced through them. Ciaron was there a few times and scratched his head and thought, hang on, we’re a bit more forward than we think we are.
“So we just kept putting the pressure on and she just kept stepping up; even throughout this week, she had a good bit of work on the Saturday, and again on the Tuesday. She is just a freak of nature, she’s a real credit to herself.
“Given the way she’s run and won today, the Australian Cup would have to be looked at for sure. But then up in Sydney, you’ve got races like the Queen Of The Turf if you come back in trip slightly, and then the Queen Elizabeth would be her ultimate grand final. But for the moment, we’ll just savour this win, it’s a great effort and thankfully we have her back.”
Newitt’s only previous competitive ride on Pride Of Jenni had produced a runner-up finish to Amelia’s Jewel (Siyouni) in the Stocks Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m) at Moonee Valley in September 2023.
The experienced jockey has ridden 33 Group 1 winners, but revealed his first success aboard the reigning Australian Racehorse of the Year would feature amongst the highlights of his career when he eventually hangs up his riding boots and goggles.
“Fair play to Tony and Lynn, they put their backsides on the line to bring her back into work when everyone had their opinion that they shouldn’t have,” he said.
“Ciaron and his team, they just do a tremendous job and they know this mare inside out, so I’m just very grateful to be part of the ride now.
“I think the biggest thing today was the small field. It wasn’t really going to generate a lot of tempo, so from barrier three, I just held my line the first couple of furlongs until I got up the hill because I knew if I got the first eight or nine hundred metres right, she was always still going to take a power of beating.
“The old girl, when she turned down the side at the half mile, she grabbed hold of the bridle so I just went with her and she picked up the tempo.
“Tony actually said to me before I went out, try not to use the stick on her. So I had to give her one at the top of the straight just to switch her back on, because she turned for home and she just completely relaxed underneath me. I thought she might have just been starting to fatigue a little bit, but I put one round her tail and she disappeared.
“She ran through the line as solid as anything, so she’ll only take great benefit from the run and by all signs, she looks like she’s pulled up terrific, so it’s very exciting.”