Horse Of The Year bounces back at Caulfield.
Crowd favourite Pride Of Jenni booked herself a trip to Queensland with a bounce-back win at Caulfield on Saturday.
The reigning Horse of the Year put the disappointment of a below-par showing in the Group 1 Australian Cup on March 29 behind her with a trademark win in the $175,000 Listed Anniversary Vase (1600m).
The performance was more like her start before the Australian Cup, a dashing win in the Group 2 Peter Young Stakes (1800m), and jockey Craig Newitt left no doubt about his main emotion after the Ciaron Maher-trained mare's win.
"It's just a relief, really," Newitt said.
"We know how good she is on her day, obviously the Australian Cup deflated all of us, so it was just nice to see her show she was back to where we thought she had to be and to get a result is a good one."
Pride Of Jenni, who carried 61kg top weight and spotted all other runners at 5.5kg, jumped well and led early but was kept honest by last-start Golden Mile winner Regal Zeus who was still within two lengths at the 400m.
But that gelding's challenge was done by the 250m, leaving it to the backmarkers to issue the biggest challenge and all of them spotted the $2.70 favourite too big a start.
Second, 2-1/4 lengths away, was Scheelite ($5), who finished marginally clear of another $5 chance, Pounding.
The daughter of Pride Of Dubai covered the 1600m in 1:35.62 on the Good 3 track, which was a new class record and 1.34secs outside Fields Of Omagh's 19-year-old track record.
"The speed I was going at the 1000-metre mark I reckon was the speed I was going on the winning post," Newitt said.
"I never quickened any more but I never weakened. She just kept on going and her stamina really kicked in."
Pride Of Jenni is now $4 second favourite behind Buckaroo for the $1 million Group 1 Doomben Cup (2000m), which will be run at Doomben on May 24.
Her win was the final leg of a treble for Maher, who won the first race of the day with Kaleo and one of the middle events on the program with promising three-year-old Kalkallo.
