Pride Of Jenni’s crowning as the 2023/24 Australian Horse of the Year provided breeder Trelawney Stud with a welcome change of fortune.
The bold frontrunning daughter of Pride Of Dubai was announced as the winner at a gala ceremony at Morphettville where the Ciaron Maher-trained mare was also named Champion Middle Distance Horse.
The Trelawney graduate is a daughter of the O’Reilly mare Sancerre, who had the recent misfortune to lose her Hello Youmzain foal.
“Unfortunately, we lost the foal out of the mare this year. It died after a few days, which was obviously very disappointing for everybody involved,” Trelawney’s Brent Taylor said.
“She has been covered back by Hello Youmzain and we’ll see whether she’s in foal in the next few days.
“We have supported him with some really nice mares and bred some really nice foals and looking forward to keeping one or two for racing.”
Pride Of Jenni’s award came off the back of a sensational season that saw her triumph in the Gr.1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m), Gr.1 Champions’ Mile (1600m), a breathtaking victory in the Gr.1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) and between times the All-Star Mile (1600m).
“It was great for Ciaron and the owners Tony and Lynn (Ottobre),” Taylor said.
Pride Of Jenni was sold on behalf of Trelawney by Segenhoe Stud at the Inglis Classic Sale where she was knocked down to the Ottobre’s Cape Schanck Stud for A$100,000.
She is the first foal of Sancerre, a daughter of the nursery’s Gr.1 Queensland Oaks (2400m) winner Vouvray, whose son Awatere has been a winner from a handful of starts for Cambridge trainer Tony Pike.
Sancerre’s two-year-old daughter by Per Incanto, Pouilly Fume, has been retained by Taylor and wife Cherry.
“She’s currently with Stephen Marsh and we named her after a French wine,” Taylor said.
“This filly is probably going to take a bit longer, whereas Pride Of Jenni was a very good-looking yearling, strong, good quarters who moved well and a real sale type.
“Pouilly Fume is going to take some time to mature so we won’t be seeing her running as a two-year-old, I wouldn’t imagine.”
Meanwhile, the Trelawney silks will be in action at Te Rapa on Saturday with Petrucci and Mars to go head-to-head in the Thomson’s Suits Handicap (1200m).
Trained by Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, the I Am Invincible mare Petrucci was unplaced when resuming in an open handicap on the course last month and is expected to have improved with the outing.
Mars is prepared by Ben and Ryan Foote and the Zoustar four-year-old will be making her first appearance since completing consecutive wins to end her autumn campaign.