John Messara, part-owner of Autumn Glow, expressed relief that Pride Of Jenni was not in the field for the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) on Saturday. This race marks a significant milestone for Autumn Glow, as it will be the first time she competes beyond a mile.
Messara, who is also the founder of Arrowfield Stud, mentioned that while a proposed $2 million match race with Pride Of Jenni is unlikely, he remains open to any suggestions. The possibility of such a race has been discussed, but both parties seem to be cautious about its feasibility.
Autumn Glow, who has an impressive record of 11 wins from 11 starts, secured gate two out of eight for the $5 million weight-for-age event on day two of the Championships at Randwick. Despite her strong performance, the attention was drawn to the absence of Pride Of Jenni, a notable figure in racing history.
Pride Of Jenni, an eight-year-old mare, made headlines in 2024 when she led by 30 lengths and won by 6.5 lengths. Her owner, Tony Ottobre, announced on SEN radio that she would instead compete in the Queen Of The Turf (1600m), where she could have an easier time up front after recent challenging performances.
“She can disrupt the race,” Messara said. “She can go 10 [lengths] in front … then all of a sudden you think, ‘I can’t let her get too far in front’. So you push, push, push, and you upset the apple cart. In a way, I prefer she’s not there.”
Ottobre confirmed that he is still open to a $1 million-a-piece match race over 1600m-2000m with any horse, including Autumn Glow. While Messara is not ruling out the possibility, he believes it is unlikely.
“Those match races are of questionable interest to people and if there’s a big differential with one or the other horse, you get a ridiculous outcome,” he said. “You could beat the other horse by four or five. It takes all the fun out of life. It could be either way, I don’t know. She’s a great mare [Pride Of Jenni] and has a lot of heart. It’s an unlikely outcome, but I’m always open to suggestions.”
Adrian Bott, trainer of Sir Delius, believed that Pride Of Jenni might have helped his Queen Elizabeth runner. However, his main focus is on Campaldino, a contender for the Sydney Cup (3200m). Campaldino failed an inspection on Tuesday after suffering cardiac arrhythmia following his second-place finish in the Chairman’s Quality (2600m) last Saturday.
Bott hopes Campaldino can pass further tests and take his place from gate 14 of 16. If cleared, he will need to complete a 1000m gallop on Thursday.
“He was checked immediately following the race, and all the vital signs and everything were in order, so it’s a little bit of an unusual case,” Bott said. “He hasn’t done any strenuous exercise [since Saturday].”
