Pride of Jenni, Middle Earth meet in Australian Cup

Pride of Jenni will not repeat as Australia’s Horse of the Year after winning the title for the 2023-2024 season that ended last August.

In the current term, Pride of Jenni has won 2 of 6 starts, with the two wins against small fields in Group 2 races. One of those wins was the Peter Young Stakes at Caulfield on March 15, a victory that has led to Pride of Jenni’s appearance in the Group 1 Australian Cup at Flemington on Friday.

Pride of Jenni, a winner of 9 of 36 starts since her career began in September 2020, is a three-time Group 1 winner, all achieved during her championship campaign. In that season, she also won the $2.46 million All-Star Mile in March 2024, which was not recognized as a group-level stakes at the time but now has Group 1 status.

The $1.57 million Australian Cup at 1 1/4 miles is familiar territory for Pride of Jenni, who was second by a neck in the 2024 running. This year, Pride of Jenni, who is trained by Ciaron Maher, will be favored in a field of nine.

:: Get free past performances, analysis, and picks for Australian racing

Pride of Jenni’s top rival is stablemate Middle Earth, a recent arrival from Britain who won his Australian debut in the Australian Cup Prelude at 1 1/4 miles at Flemington on March 8 in his first start since July. Middle Earth won the Group 3 Ashton Park Stakes at 1 1/2 miles at Newbury Racecourse in Britain last May and was third in the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot last June.

The Australian Cup distance will not be an issue for the 4-year-old filly Zardozi, who was fourth in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup at two miles at Flemington last November and second in the Peter Young Stakes by 2 3/4 lengths as the even-money favorite.

There are three Group 1 races in Australia on Friday night, including the $946,200 Tancred Stakes at 1 1/4 miles and the $473,100 Vinery Stud Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney.

The Tancred Stakes has a strong European influence with Dubai Honour and Vauban leading the betting in a field of 14.

Dubai Honour, a 7-year-old Irish-bred gelding, won consecutive Group 1 races at 1 1/4 miles at tracks in Sydney in March and April of 2023, his most recent starts in Australia. Trained in Britain by William Haggas, Dubai Honour has not raced since a second in the Group 1 Hong Kong Vase at 1 1/2 miles at Sha Tin in Hong Kong in December.

Vauban, a 7-year-old French-bred gelding, has had a remarkable career that includes a win in the Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham Racecourse in Britain in March 2022, and a win at Royal Ascot in the Copper Horse Handicap at 1 3/4 miles in 2023.

Vauban was 14th at the 9-2 favorite in the 2023 Melbourne Cup, and 11th last year. He has since been transferred from Irish trainer Willie Mullins to the premier Australian team of Adrian Bott and Gai Waterhouse.

In his lone start this year, Vauban won his debut for the Bott/Waterhouse team in the Group 3 Sky High Stakes at 1 1/4 miles at Rosehill Gardens on March 8.

The shortest-priced favorite in this weekend’s Group 1 races in Australia will be Treasurethe Moment in the Vinery Stud Stakes at 1 1/4 miles.

A winner of 7 of 9 starts, including her last six races, Treasurethe Moment was 3-5 in early betting on Thursday for the Vinery Stud Stakes. She was the easy winner of the Group 2 Kewney Stakes at a mile by 2 1/4 lengths at Flemington on March 8. Treasurethe Moment was not urged in the final strides by Damian Lane, who has the mount in the Vinery Stud Stakes.

The Flemington program begins at 9:15 p.m. Eastern or 6:15 p.m. Pacific. Rosehill Gardens begins at 9:30 p.m. Eastern. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.