Stalk and Strike! Lane set to shadow Jenni

Matt Laurie will give Damian Lane and Treasurethe Moment a license to stalk Pride Of Jenni when the star mares clash in Saturday’s G1 Champions Mile at Flemington.

Laurie’s decision to drop his stable star back in distance from the Cox Plate to avoid a clash with Yulong star Via Sistina in the Champions Stakes has set up a mouthwatering clash with the dynamic front-runner as well as Mr Brightside, Ceolwolf and Stefi Magnetica.

Pride Of Jenni is expected to adopt the trademark tactics that saw her lead all the way to win Saturday’s Empire Rose Stakes and Laurie is hoping his mare can keep closer order than her rivals traditionally do.

Lane is no stranger to chasing Pride Of Jenni, having run her down aboard Amelia’s Jewel in the G2 Stocks Stakes and Japanese raider Prognosis in last year’s Cox Plate, albeit the latter was no match for Via Sistina.

“She (Pride Of Jenni) is a star and she’ll be very hard to run down but we’re happy with our horse,” Laurie said.

“I haven’t spoken to Damian yet but I think I’m just going to tell Damian to not let her out of his sights.”

“It’s a tough one for the jockeys because it really does seem like Pride Of Jenni can skip away in the blink of an eye.”

“But we’re there to win so we’ll try to stay within touch.”

“Treasure put up a good pace off Light Infantry Man in the Cox Plate and I’m not saying he would’ve gone as quick as what Jenni does but he still set up a solid tempo.”

“I’m expecting it’ll probably be something similar.”

After a brilliant win in the Memsie Stakes first-up, Treasurethe Moment suffered a bout of colic that threatened to derail her spring campaign.

She has been placed in the Feehan Stakes, Might And Power Stakes and Cox Plate since, with Laurie confident she has improved even more in the last fortnight.

“She looks like she’s come on again from the Cox Plate,” he said.

“It’s almost like I wish there were a couple more runs following this.”

“After the Cox Plate she licked her feed bin clean and ate up, which she doesn’t always do.”

“She’s beautifully sound, springy and bright. She just looks great”

“Hopefully we can finish the spring off the way we started it.”

Laurie confirmed that Vinrock, who was scratched from Saturday’s G3 Carbine Club Stakes, will next line up in the G1 C.F. Orr Stakes.

Mick Dee will ride the three-year-old, who trialed in blinkers at Caulfield on Wednesday.