Horse Racing
52 minutes ago
“I’d be crazy”: No intentions of retiring Pride Of Jenni
By Andrew Slevison
Pride Of Jenni will race on and could continue into 2027.
Owner Tony Ottobre has confirmed that he wants the nine-year-old to chase a fourth straight Feehan Stakes after claiming the Group 2 mile race under Declan Bates at Caulfield on Sunday.
The much-loved mare has already been retired and returned to the track, and now she’s getting a bit long in the tooth, but there are no immediate plans to end her racing career.
“I’d love to get a fourth Feehan Stakes,” Ottobre said on SENTrack & RSN’s Giddy Up.
“I’ve got no intentions of retiring her. She’s not a mare that goes on heat, she’s shown no interest whatsoever to go to stud.
“I’d be crazy not to keep racing her while she’s in this sort of mood.”
On the agenda for the Ciaron Maher-trained Pride Of Jenni could be the Group 1 Empire Rose - a race she’s won twice before - over 1600m at Flemington on October 31.
If the Empire Rose does happen to be the target, will there be another run between given that’s a month away?
“You’ll have to talk to Ciaron on that. I’ve done my job, Ciaron’s doing the rest,” Ottobre added.
“I don’t interfere. People may think I do but Ciaron Maher is a professional.
“So with Ciaron you just do what needs to be done. You know what she’s capable of and where she’s at.
“But generally he’ll giver her a three-week break and then race her and then two weeks again race her. That’s generally been the pattern with her.
“I’m not exactly sure where he wants to go. After seeing what she did yesterday, he may have something that I’ve got no idea about.”
Gareth Hall raised the prospect of returning to Sydney for the G1 King Charles III at Randwick - a race in which she’s been unsuccessful in each of the past two years.
But Ottobre isn’t so keen to travel again, referencing a cautionary tale.
“The Sydneysiders have belted us twice, I don’t think I’d want to go up there again,” the owner said further.
“Like I said, it’s all Ciaron’s call.
“Two years ago when we tried that and then went to the Cox Plate, I think that was a fail. We’ve learnt from our mistakes and we don’t want to repeat them.
“I can’t see that happening, going up north.”
Pride Of Jenni has now won 14 of her 49 career starts, raking in more than $12.3 million in prizemoney.




