Pride Of Jenni will dodge the big guns in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes and instead head to the Group 1 Queen Of The Turf at Randwick on Saturday.
Owner Tony Ottobre announced the decision on SEN on Tuesday morning. Gareth Hall asked Ottobre have we made a decision, to which Tony replied: “We have, all the punters quickly get on the Queen Of The Turf – get as much money on as you can”.
On the decision and discussions with the Maher stable Ottobre said “it was a 50/50, a bit of a lineball”.
“The horses in the Queen Elizabeth are what we expected. At the moment there’s eight Chris Waller horses that are accepted so it looks like Chris Waller’s race, so Pride Of Jenni will come out.”
“I know that Lindermann and Dubai Honour will take it up to her (Pride Of Jenni) in the Queen Elizabeth, but there doesn’t seem to be much in the mares race that will take it up to her.”
“The further in front she gets the better she will be, and they will find it very hard to run her down.”
Ottobre indicated this could be her final run of the Autumn Carnival but suggested she would likely return in the spring as a nine-year-old mare.
Pride Of Jenni produced one of the most remarkable performances seen on an Australian racetrack when she won the 2024 Queen Elizabeth Stakes, rolling to a huge mid-race lead and completely dismantling her rivals.
The decision comes just days after Ottobre claimed opposition stables were deliberately targeting his star mare in a bid to bring her undone.
“We’ve got a horse there that goes after us all the time, and brings the others up to us,” Ottobre said last week.
“I’ve put up with this a few times. The smart guys can see what’s going on, a lot of others can’t.”
“If we go to the 2000m race (the Queen Elizabeth) we will be up against geldings again and generally there’s a gelding that does that sort of job on us.”
“I want a fair race and I don’t think I’m going to get one in the Queen Elizabeth.”
Ottobre then singled out the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable.
“If Gai Waterhouse has got a horse in the race I won’t be going there.”
Watch: Matt Welsh discusses Tony Ottobre’s comments
