Racing: Cox Plate showdown set for Jenni

Trelawney Stud-bred mare Pride of Jenni in action.

Superstar Trelawney Stud-bred mare Pride Of Jenni out-ran all of her rivals in her last attempt over 2000m, and she will be out to do that on the biggest stage in Saturday’s A$5 million ($5.5m) Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) at The Valley.

Prior to last season, Pride Of Jenni had placed at Group One and Group Two level, but she catapulted herself into stardom with stunning front-running victories in the A$1 million Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m), A$3 million Group 1 Champions Stakes (1600m) and A$3.7 million All Star Mile.

Her status as the 2023/24 Australian Racehorse of the Year was cemented with a performance for the ages in the $5m Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick in April.

Returning as a 7-year-old, the Pride Of Dubai mare was defeated by her arch-rival Mr Brightside in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) before she turned the tables on him in the Group 2 Feehan Stakes (1600m).

While Mr Brightside made his final preparations elsewhere, Pride Of Jenni primed for the Cox Plate in last Saturday’s A$5m Group 1 King Charles III Stakes (1600m), where she led to the dying moments before the Kiwi-bred Ceolwulf came storming down the outside to deny the mare a fourth Group One.

Ciaron Maher, who won both the A$20m The Everest (1200m) and A$5m Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) over the weekend, has been pleased with the mare’s progress since Saturday’s contest.

“She’s come through it well, I followed her down to the swabbing box post her run on Saturday to see how she was, and she’s pulled up pretty well,” Maher told Racing.com.

“She went down to Bong Bong and was in the spa and paddock over the last couple of days, there’s nothing I’ve seen that [would suggest] she wouldn’t back up.

“Hyperbaric chambers are well-used in people, it’s oxygen-infused. She hadn’t been in it before and she was a little bit nervous when she got in, but she settled down over the next few days. It aids everything really, any soft tissue, lung, just the whole recovery process.

“She comes back [to Melbourne] on Wednesday night and just ticks over. It’s all about recovery, so you’re keeping them happy and hopefully the trip back is smooth, she can take her place on Saturday.

“It’s going to be a tough enough ask, but if any horse can do it, I think she can.”

There was an edge of controversy after the King Charles in reference to fellow pacemaker Major Beel, but Maher emphasised that her usual pattern would not change in the feature.

“I think she’ll probably do her normal tactics, Saturday had interesting tactics, but I don’t think it made a hell of a lot of difference to the end result. The winner was very, very good, and I thought she was super,” he said.

“Dec [Bates, jockey] said that this whole prep, she’s been wanting the 2000 [metres]. Hopefully she can travel back safe and sound and take her place, because you’d think The Valley is made for her.

“It’s the best race in The Valley and it’s a pressure cooker.”

– LOVERACING.NZ News Desk