PRIDE OF JENNI'S FUTURE - DECISION PENDING

By Graham Potter | Monday, May 26, 2025

Pride Of Jenni’s future racing career is on hold following her failure to be competitive in the Group 1 Doomben Cup on Saturday.

Racing.com has reported that owner Tony Ottobre has confirmed that the mare’s connections have pulled the plug on Pride Of Jenni’s Queensland campaign and that the high profile ten-time winner (with over $10 million banked in prize-money) will return to Victoria where connections will allow the dust to settle before making a call on what happens next.

Speaking after the Doomben Cup, trainer Ciaron Maher said, “She’s pulled up ok – a little bit of a slow recovery, but she has had a crack.

“She’s had a hard run, but everything seems ok. She’s sound, and apart from her heart rate (being) a little bit high, she’s ok.”

For all of the impressive statistics behind her name there have certainly been peaks and troughs in Pride Of Jenni’s career … with a little bit of controversy thrown into the mix.

The most spectacular high was when Pride Of Jenni left racing enthusiasts in awe back in Aoril 2024 when she turned in an exhilarating front-running performance, under jockey Declan Bates, in the Group 1 Queens Elizabet Stakes, leading by all of twenty-five lengths midrace … in a field that included the likes of Via Sistina and Mr Brightside … before posting a still very decisive 6.50 length winning margin at the line.

The first serious downside result came in the Group 1 Champions mile at Flemington last November when Pride of Jenni finished last of the eleven runners … returned having bled from both nostrils … which ked to Ottobre announcing Prince Of Jenni’s retirement immediately after that run.

But the retirement only lasted four months, her return sparking contentious public debate between those thinking she had done her time and those who thought she had more to give.

Doubtless that debate will rage again now.

Even though Pride Of Jenni has secured two wins in her four starts since resuming, it is those other two runs … in the Group 1 Australian Cup in March this year where she capitulated with hardly a murmer to drop out and finish a hugely disappointing 15.71 lengths behind the winner … and then, most recently, in the dismal Doomben Cup run where she was already a spent force on the home turn and trailed in 10.92 lengths behind the winner … that have once again raised critical eyebrows.

There has been no rush in any decision this time, as there was with Pride of Jenni’s first retirement announcement, but you would still expect this important call to be made sooner rather than later this time around.

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