Pride Of Jenni will not be there when the Moonee Valley Racing Club hosts its annual Breakfast With The Best session on Tuesday morning, but Ciaron Maher is confident she will be there on Saturday.
The trainer of arguably Australia’s most popular horse reported on Monday morning that she had recovered well from her brave second placing in Saturday’s King Charles III Stakes and was poised to take her place in the $5 million Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m).
“I had a good look at her when she was warming down post-race and she seemed quite bright,” Maher told RSN927.
“She’s in the paddock and from what I’ve seen so far, I’m fairly confident she’ll back up.”
Pride Of Jenni’s presence is crucial to what shapes as a Cox Plate with limited runners.
On Monday morning the confirmed starters were international visitors Prognosis and Docklands, Via Sistina, last year’s runner-up Mr Brightside and glamour three-year-old Broadsiding.
Via Sistina and Mr Brightside are down to gallop at The Valley on Tuesday morning and will be among the first group of horses to access the track from 6.15am.
Pride Of Jenni might not be Maher’s only high-profile galloper backing up at the Cox Plate Carnival with the champion trainer giving consideration to a start in Friday night’s Moonee Valley Cup (2500m) with Duke De Sessa.
A dashing winner of last Saturday’s Caulfield Cup, Duke De Sessa is not nominated for the Melbourne Cup and the gelding is among 31 entries for Friday night’s $750,000 Group 2.
“Possibly, I’m just going to have a look at him later in the week and see how he is,” Maher said when asked of the possibility of a back-up.
