There is not much that outspoken owner Tony Ottobre wouldn’t do for Pride Of Jenni.
Think what you want about him, his eight-year-old mare, which has provided some of the most memorable moments in racing this century, comes first.
“When you get one like her, you don’t want it to end,” Ottobre said ahead of her return in Saturday’s All Star Mile at Flemington.
“People can have their opinions about me, that I’m greedy keeping her racing, but she still wants to be a racehorse.”
Pride Of Jenni is an elite athlete, and Ottobre has been hands-on with her away from the Ciaron Maher stable.
He has also put an entourage around her to get the best performances in her twilight years.
“I’m no genius, but I have got geniuses to look after her,” Ottobre said.
“She has a physio, a chiro, a masseur to manipulate her muscles and someone who specialises in Electro-magnetic therapy comes in and works with her.
“It is like a Formula 1 team around her. As she gets older, we want to make sure she is happy.
“Then there is her strapper Sammie Waters who would do anything for her.
“She doesn’t go to races unless everyone is happy.”
It goes back 18 months when Pride Of Jenni bled and her future looked to be green paddocks rather than relentlessly galloping rivals into the ground on the track.
Ottobre took his more hands-on approach after the 2024 Champions Mile. Maher has the final say on the mare but he appreciates the work that goes into Pride Of Jenni.
“Tony kept her active when she was down at his property and she came here in really good order and she will strip pretty close to her ideal race weight,” Maher said
“She’s amazing, how evergreen she is. Her endeavour, her action, her whole demeanour.
“Dec [Bates, who has been on for all four of her Group 1 wins,] sat on her on Monday and said she wanted to rip from the 600 metres. He doesn’t say a lot, but when he’s saying that you know you’re pretty close to the mark.”
Pride Of Jenni has won more than $12 million in prizemoney and Maher’s data team provide further insights into her.
“All the data says she is going as well as she ever gone since coming back into work and the weekend,” Ottobre said.
“She is amazing really.”
The respect for Pride of Jenni has her the $4 favourite to win a second All Star Mile, even though she is first-up at the 1600m.
But since the team has been put around Pride Of Jenni, she has won a Peter Young Stakes over 1800m at Caulfield first-up and the Feehan Stakes over 1600m at Moonee Valley resuming in the spring.
“She is better at 1600m than 1400m,” Maher said. “She seems to get her rhythm over the longer trip, and hopefully she will do that again on Saturday.”
It won’t make the race any easier for Ottobre, who wears his heart on his sleeve, when Pride of Jenni gets rolling in front.
“It’s not Caulfield or Moonee Valley with their short straight, it is Flemington,” Ottobre said.
“The long straight there kills me. Every time she races there.
“You don’t know if they are going to get her, and it is always a hard watch.
“I can’t look away from her, but my wife Lynn can’t watch and then she turns around and asks if she is still winning.
“It will be the same on the weekend.”
