Pride Of Jenni one of five finalists for Victorian Racehorse of the Year crown

Racing Victoria has announced a line-up of five stars are in line to secure the Victorian Racehorse of the Year title on Saturday night.

Pride Of Jenni won the All-Star Mile at Caulfield in March as part of a wonderful season that produced four Group 1 wins. Picture: Racing Photos via Getty Images.

Super mare Pride Of Jenni will face some outstanding competition in the battle for an industry accolade on Saturday night.

Pride Of Jenni is one of five finalists for the Victorian Racehorse of the Year Award, which will be presented as part of Racing Victoria’s Scobie Breasley Medal night.

A panel of industry officials and racing media has voted on the best performances on Victorian racetracks for the season, irrespective of where a horse is trained.

Pride Of Jenni’s amazing season reaped two brilliant Group 1 wins in the Empire Rose and Cantala Stakes during the Melbourne Cup Carnival before she returned in the autumn to win the All-Star Mile at Caulfield.

The mare closed her 2023/24 season with a memorable win in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes in Sydney but that amazing performance does not count in assessing the Victorian Racehorse of the Year.

The Ciaron Maher-trained seven-year-old will be up against the likes of Caulfield and Melbourne Cup winner Without A Fight.

THEY CAN'T CATCH HER!

Pride Of Jenni runs them into the ground & wins the All-Star Mile for @cmaherracing & @decbates ⭐ pic.twitter.com/5MdE5gaxfB

— Racing.com (@Racing) March 16, 2024

Without A Fight only had three starts on Victorian tracks last season, running sixth in the Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) before trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman produced the gelding to triumph in both the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups with jockey Mark Zahra aboard.

Without A Fight won both races with 56.5kg, earning his owner Sheikh Mohammed Obaid al Maktoum more than $8 million in the space of 17 days.

Unfortunately for connections, Without A Fight has not raced since the Melbourne Cup but the Freedman camp is optimistic the now eight-year-old can return to racing in the spring.

Hong Kong’s maiden Cox Plate winner Romantic Warrior is also a finalist for the award after claiming The Valley’s showpiece race at his second Victorian start after running fourth in the Turnbull Stakes at his Melbourne debut.

WHAT A HORSE! 🏆

Without A Fight does the Caulfield & Melbourne Cup double 🖤💛@FreedmanRacingpic.twitter.com/Dq5q1JNCRr

— Racing.com (@Racing) November 7, 2023

Mr Brightside is another finalist for the Victorian Racehorse of the Year crown after posting four Group 1 wins in Melbourne last season.

Mr Brightside won the Memsie Stakes and Makybe Diva Stakes last spring, and went down narrowly in the Cox Plate before returning to claim the C.F Orr Stakes and Futurity Stakes double in the autumn.

Retired sprinter Imperatriz is the last of the five finalists.

The former Te Akau Racing-owned star won the Moir and Manikato Stakes at The Valley before rounding out her spring with success in the Champions Sprint at Flemington.

Trainer Mark Walker brought Imperatriz back in the autumn to claim the Lightning Stakes and William Reid Stakes.

Imperatriz was later solid to Yulong Stud at auction for $6.6 million.

Originally published as Pride Of Jenni one of five finalists for Victorian Racehorse of the Year crown