It was another Pride of Jenni masterclass, adding to her remarkable career with a victory in the Group 2 Hollindale Stakes on the Gold Coast on Saturday.
The mare did what she usually does – goes to the front and runs her competitors into the ground. She defeated James McDonald and Birdman by 3/4 of a length with Melbourne Cup hero Half Yours finishing fourth.
Her trainer, Ciaron Maher, said his mare gave him early signals it could be a good day for his team.
”She slept well and I thought that was nice and I thought we might be on today. It was great for [owner] Tony [Ottobre]. He’s got friends and family up here so it was fantastic,” he said post race.
STILL A HERO 💙💜
PRIDE OF JENNI WINS THE HOLLINDALE‼️ pic.twitter.com/7saRw3eluD
— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) May 9, 2026
Pride of Jenni’s jockey, Declan Bates, said he was happy with how the 8 year-old felt before the jump.
”It’s the first time since Queen Elizabeth when I knew I was happy, but at the same time I have just got to manage her. So it’s a matter of letting her take me in,” he said.
”I really just work with her. It’s all about her terms especially when she’s really loving it and nice and on song – and I knew very early today. It was like we’re in business’.”
Attention now turns to what’s next for Pride of Jenni.
”We were mindful that she has had three very tough runs and given how well she went first-up I just thought the only thing you can do is overtrain her,” Maher said.
”So she’s been to the Bong Bong Farm and some pretty nice establishments and yeah we just kept her fresh and it was a great win.”
