‘She’s right’: Pride Of Jenni poised to rebound in Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington
The Ciaron Maher stable is confident there will be no repeat of Pride Of Jenni’s lacklustre first-up performance in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes on Saturday.
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Pride Of Jenni is poised to rebound in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington.
The superstar mare, trained by Ciaron Maher, disappointed first-up in the Group 1 Memsie Stakes two weeks ago when beaten 5¾ lengths as a well-backed second favourite.
The multiple Group 1 and All-Star Mile winner pulled up with a temperature slightly outside her normal range, which potentially attributed to the lacklustre performance.
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Assistant trainer Jack Turnbull said Pride Of Jenni has bounced back to her usual self.
“She’s shown us the endeavour and demeanour that she’s right and we know she’s right,” Turnbull said.
“She wasn’t against nothing in that first-up field, it was a strong enough event and Pinstriped ran a huge PB figure, I think he ran 103, and when she’s at her best she’s a better horse than that but she wasn’t that day.
“It was a little bit of a head-scratcher and we know why she didn’t perform to her best, everything being equal this weekend it doesn’t happen again and we’re fit and firing.”
Pride Of Jenni galloped strongly over 1000m last Monday with jockey Declan Bates aboard and cannot be faulted ahead of Saturday’s blockbuster clash with Via Sistina and Mr Brightside.
Turnbull said Pride Of Jenni would be “hard to catch” at Flemington.
“If she runs to her true form and gets in front easily enough and cruising along, breathing is fine, everything is fine, she’s hard to chase and she’s hard to catch,” Turnbull said.
“It was disappointing (Memsie), don’t get me wrong, but (there was) a very strong head wind that day and she was first-up, 1400m … she wasn’t entirely right, she might’ve had an off day.
“She’s had a piece of work on the treadmill, we measure lactate and heart-rate and all that has come back very positive and she had a nice gallop Monday with the tracker on.
“We have a huge profile (data set) against her and we know what she’s like and it compares as good as ever, we’re confident she will run well.”
Pride Of Jenni is a $6.50 third elect with TAB behind Via Sistina ($2.40) and Mr Brightside ($3.10).
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She defeated Mr Brightside second-up last campaign by two lengths in the All-Star Mile.
Pride Of Jenni was then runner-up in the Australian Cup and completed an astonishing 6 ½-length romp in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes – both 2000m Group 1s.
Via Sistina was second behind Pride Of Jenni in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Via Sistina won the Group 1 Winx Stakes first-up and has an extra week in hand on Makybe Diva rivals Pinstriped, Mr Brightside, Antino and Pride Of Jenni, which finished first, second, fourth and fifth respectively in the Memsie Stakes a fortnight ago.
“In a perfect world the way she (Pride Of Jenni) puts in you’d go three weeks (spaced runs), it’s not to be, we can’t choose that,” Turnbull said.
“Via Sistina has had to travel down, we’re playing at home, we can’t be too precious, we’re very happy with her and no doubt she will run well Saturday.”
The Group 1 King Charles III Stakes in Sydney remains a target next month before a potential back-up in the $5m Cox Plate at The Valley.
Originally published as ‘She’s right’: Pride Of Jenni poised to rebound in Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington
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