Pride Of Jenni, Australia's reigning Horse of the Year, has been retired after bleeding from both nostrils as she finished last in a G1 event at Flemington on Saturday [Nov 9].
The three-time G1 winner, whose career-defining performance came with her spectacular front-running success in last season’s Queen Elizabeth Stakes, led to the home turn in the Champions Mile before weakening out of contention behind old rival Mr Brightside in a race she had won 12 months earlier.
“There’s no more racing for Pride Of Jenni,” said owner Tony Ottobre, who has expressed an interest in the seven-year-old visiting Equinox at stud in Japan.
“I could bring her back in the autumn but I'm not going to do that,” Ottobre added, speaking to punters.com.
“I’m not worried about the money. I’ll just look after the horse now and I think she's had enough. Everyone knows how to beat her and she didn’t perform that well. It’s all over. I love Equinox as a sire and if we can, that's where she will go.”
Pride of Australia: the story of how Pride Of Jenni took the racing world by storm
Trained by Ciaron Maher, Pride Of Jenni became a household name in Australia last season during her Horse of the Year campaign, when she won two G1 events a week apart at the Melbourne Spring Carnival before landing the valuable All-Star Mile at Caulfield in March.
With regular rider Declan Bates on board, her finest hour came in April with her extraordinary all-the-way victory in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick, where she came home 6½ lengths clear of subsequent Cox Plate winner Via Sistina, and Mr Brightside – both of whom scored in G1 company on Saturday’s card.
However, Pride Of Jenni has largely struggled to recapture such heights this season, her only victory in six starts since August coming in the G2 Feehan Stakes.
Amid much controversy, Bates was jocked off in favour of Ben Melham for Saturday’s run in the Champions Mile but the mare was a spent force after turning for home.
Even if her owner had not taken the decision to retire Pride Of Jenni, she would have faced a mandatory three-month ban when Racing Victoria stewards issued a veterinary notice to say she had bled from both nostrils.
Meanwhile, as one star departs the scene, another is very much still in the ascendant in the shape of Via Sistina, who followed up her Cox Plate success with a dominant odds-on victory in the G1 Champions Stakes.
Jockey James McDonald, also successful on Sunshine In Paris in the G1 Champions Sprint amid a high-profile four-timer, partnered a record 11 winners across the four Flemington cards of Melbourne Cup week.
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