A gallop at Sandown and a jump-out at Cranbourne will be the final two pieces of serious work for Pride Of Jenni (Pride of Dubai) leading into the All-Star Mile at Caulfield.
The Ciaron Maher-trained mare galloped with Berkshire Shadow at Sandown on Wednesday in preparation for the $4 million race over 1600m at Caulfield on March 16.
Pride Of Jenni, who was bred by Trelawney Stud, will enter the All-Star Mile with only the one run, a second-place finish to Mr Brightside (NZ) (Bullbars) in the Group 1 C F Orr Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on February 10, under the belt.
Jack Turnbull, an assistant trainer with Ciaron Maher Racing, said Pride Of Jenni was benefitting from a light campaign leading up to All-Star Mile.
He said the first-up performance had not taken a lot out of Pride Of Jenni, but she had felt the run.
“She feels all of her runs. It’s the effort she puts in,” Turnbull said.
“We just thought this time around as she had a solid racing campaign last time that if we went five weeks between runs, a soft jump-out, and then went to the All-Star Mile, it would set us up to potentially go to Sydney without her being overly taxed.
“If it was the other way around, three or four runs in, I’m sure it would have been OK.
“The fact that we were first-up and then potentially going two weeks again, it might have been a bit too much.”
Turnbull said Pride Of Jenni was structurally very sound, but physically tightens up after every run.
The stable elected to give her time to get over that first run and fill back up again.
“She had a few light days, a bit of swimming and she tells us when she’s ready to go because she carries on a bit,” Turnbull said.
“And she was like that today, so it was perfect.”
Turnbull said regular jockey Declan Bates was happy with the way Pride Of Jenni galloped.
He said the mare wanted to get on with the gallop in the mid stages.
“He (Bates) said late she kept getting stronger and stronger and in terms of the feel she gave him, and how she pulled up post gallop, he seemed delighted,” Turnbull said.
“She’ll have a jump-out on Monday. She won’t do anything until then.
“Today was more or less her solid effort and she can have a working gallop on Monday, and she’ll have a leg stretch during the week of the All-Star Mile.”
