AND MATT HILL CALLS: "PRIDE OF JENNI. STAND UP AND CHEER. YOU ARE A BEAUTY. WHAT A HORSE SHE IS!"

By Graham Potter | Saturday, November 1, 2025

Who would have thought that an eight-year-old mare, who many had called to be retired not that long ago, would turn in a performance so mesmerising that, arguably, it upstaged both the magnificent feat of jockey Mark Zahra, who rode four winners in a row on the day … including two resounding Group 1 victories in the Coolmore and the Victoria Derby … and the presence of the lasting legacy of Godolphin … whose horses also captured the Coolmore and the Victoria Derby for different trainers.

That is taking nothing away from Zahra with his four winners or Godolphin and their trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman (Tentyris in the Coolmore) and Ciaron Maher (Observer in the Derby). All of those winners were superb but, well, if you want to talk about a spectacle that raised the roof, it is Pride Of Jenni and her win in the Empire Rose Stakes that takes pride of place.

It might not go down as quite as an incredible spectacle as her romp in the 2024 Queen Elizabeth Stakes in which her tearaway tactics and ultimate 6.54 length victory embarrassed the likes of Via Sistina and Mr Brightside and all of the riders in the field, but it was again quite a brilliant performance of sustained speed and dedicated commitment to the task which left her opposition training in the dust. They weren’t close enough for her to kick sand in their faces.

That a ten-length lead came down to a 4.50 length winning margin at the line was of no consequence. Pride Of Jenni had the race well and truly won long before finish line, allowing race-caller Matt Hill to window of opportunity as Pride Of Jenni came through the 100m to call, “Pride Of Jenni … stand up and cheer. This is going to be a famous win … a multiple winner of the Empire Rose. Pride Of Jenni … you are a beauty. What a horse she is!”

“I’m ecstatic … and appreciative … and grateful. Just an amazing horse to continually do what she does. She never ceases to amaze me,” said a very proud trainer Ciaron Maher.

“Can’t thank my team enough … Dec (jockey Declan Bates), he rides her fantastic … Tony (Tony Ottobre who owns Pride Of Jenni with his family), fair play to him, I know he got a lot of stick when not retiring her and racing on.

“The mare is happy. She is sound and she is doing what she loves.”

And for jockey Declan Bates, the admiration for Pride Of Jenni also shone through.

“After 100m into the race, I knew we were winning,” said Bates. “She just floated to the top nicely and just kept extending every time I asked her.

“I just knew there was nothing who could run us down. She did get tried late, but the job was done. She is just an absolute warrior of a horse!”

For the record, Leica Lucy and On Display filled the minor placings.

Pride Of Jenni is now a twelve-time winner from 42 starts. She has nine runner-up finishes and has finished in the first three placed on 24 occasions. She has won from 1200m to 2000 and has won on good, soft and heavy going.

Last, but not least, she has banked $11 421 185 in prize-money.

What a horse indeed!

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