A closer look – Doomben Cup

By Brad Bishop 

Pride Of Jenni will break new ground when she contests this Saturday's Doomben Cup in Brisbane.

The Ciaron Maher-trained star will become the first reigning Australian Horse Of The Year to contest the Group 1 since the Horse Of The Year award took its current form in 1993-94.

Might And Power famously won the 1998 Doomben Cup, but that was part of a body of work that earned him the first of two Horse Of The Year titles.

Pride Of Jenni won the 2023-24 Horse Of The Year award after a brilliant season that included Group 1 wins in the Empire Rose Stakes and Champions Mile during Melbourne Cup Week, All-Star Mile success and a stunning Queen Elizabeth Stakes romp.

The daughter of Pride Of Dubai ran a rating of 129 to win the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, a mark that has been bettered only by Black Caviar and Winx in the history of the Racing And Sports' Rating system.

No one is expecting the seven-year-old to repeat that in this Saturday's 2000 metre event, which is good news for her Doomben Cup rivals, but a repeat of her best efforts this season – 126 and a few 123s – would have her fighting out the finish at least.

She will need to buck a recent trend to log the fourth Group 1 win of her career, however.

Pride Of Jenni has not won consecutive races since her Cup week heroics of 2023 and has not progressed her rating in back-to-back starts since last September, when she won the Group 1 Feehan Stakes in 126 after running 124 when second in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes.

Pride Of Jenni heads into the Doomben Cup off a 116 win in the Listed Anniversary Stakes at Caulfield.

That was her first start since running 110 in the Australian Cup, which followed a 123 first-up win in the Group 2 Peter Young Stakes.

That rating would have been good enough to win all Doomben Cups this century bar Zaaki's 126 romp in 2021.

The next best Doomben Cup winning ratings are 122 wins by Metal Bender, Scenic Shot in the second of his wins, Beaten Up and Pornichet.

Pride Of Jenni's problem could be that one of Saturday's rivals heads into the race off a higher rating.

Antino ran 124 to win the Group 2 Hollindale Stakes, which matches his winning rating from the Group 1 Toorak Handicap and his Group 1 Champions Mile second placing, meaning the Queenslander has run to that mark in three of his past five runs.

Meanwhile, it will not be the first Magic Millions feature on Shaun Dwyer's resume if Dragonne Rouge can win Friday night's National 2YO Classic at the Gold Coast, but it will mark a career milestone.

The Sunshine Coast trainer has been associated with a number of Group 1 performers, but is yet to win a $1 million race.

Dwyer won the Magic Millions series' signature January event with Regimental Gal in 2003, before it achieved a $1 million purse, and he saw that filly win a Black Caviar Lightning and William Reid Stakes long before those races reached their current prizemoney levels.

Miss Leonidas, who was nabbed late by Nature Strip in a $1 million Moir Stakes, and Ville Verde are horses Dwyer has had contest seven-figure contests and the 67-year-old is excited about getting back to the big stage with a filly who cost just $25,000.

"I don't think I've had too many runners in million-dollar races," Dwyer, the winner of well over 500 races, said.

"When I won the Magic Millions it wasn't like it is now.

"I've been up this alley a few times over the years. You go there and you've just got to try and enjoy it when you've got the chance and move on if things don't eventuate.

"I'm very happy to be taking her to taking to the races on Friday night and the outlook for the next couple of years, having a horse like that in the stable. Fingers crossed."

Dwyer, a Queensland native who spent over a decade in Victoria before returning north in 2021, knows it was fortuitous that he even has Dragonne Rouge is in his care with a friendship with Andrew Williamson the reason he is in charge of her career.

Williamson prepared a small team at the Sunshine Coast until around two years ago, which was not long after he lost a colt by Dracarys he was convinced possessed above-average ability.

Dragonne Rouge is a sister to that colt, who was named French Blaze and was owned by the same group that race Dragonne Rouge, but failed to race after succumbing to a bout of colic.

Dwyer was sent to last year's Gold Coast March Yearling Sale with an order to buy the same group a horse.

"The owners wanted Andrew to buy them a horse, but he said he wasn't ready to get back into it yet, so he passed them on to me," Dwyer said.

"Dracarys had sparked my interest. I sent a mare of mine to Dracarys, so we went there and there were three or four of his we really liked and this one is a full sister to the horse who died of colic.

"These are the same guys owned that horse that died. That's how we actually got the horse, it was really gifted through Andrew recommending me to these owners of his."

French Blaze and Dragonne Rouge are out of the New Approach mare Mondeuse, whose dam Star Shiraz won a Queensland Sires' Produce Stakes when that carried Group 1 status and was runner-up in a Coolmore Classic and J.J. Atkins at the highest level.

Star Shiraz is also the dam of Redoute's Choice mare Retsina, whose progeny include Group 1 winner Savatiano, Group 2-winner Vilana, dual Listed winner Athiri and classy two-year-old Aleppo Pine.

Dragonne Rouge got her career off the perfect start with a 1000 metre two-year-old maiden win at her home track on March 14, graduated to a Saturday city win over 1100 metres at Doomben on April 12 before notching Listed victory in the 1200 metre Calaway Gal at Eagle Farm on April 26.

Dwyer initially planned to give Dragonne Rouge her shot at going one better than her granddam in next month's J.J. Atkins, but her first three starts prompted Dwyer to chase the National 2YO Classic, which is in just its second year.

"I was looking at going to the Bill Carter Stakes and maybe the J.J. Atkins because I kept thinking she'd get a mile, she's just so relaxed, but it's a little way away and I thought the next the 18 months are important, particularly looking to the 3YO Magic Millions (Guineas)," Dwyer said.

"So, this race was brought up and the more I thought about it and the more I looked at it the more I thought it was a good option.

"I couldn't be happier with her. If she gets beaten by a better horse, she gets beat, but if she can jump and travel in the first five, I'm confident she'll still be strong late."

Dragonne Rouge, who will be ridden by Andrew Mallyon, is one of the leading contenders for a Magic Millions National 2YO Classic, which has attracted a field of 12 plus five emergencies.

She has drawn barrier six but will come in one if the reserves don't gain a start with rivals including impressive debut Caulfield winner Prince Tycoon (16), Magic Millions Debutant winner Amosu (5), All Pink (15) and Sisstainable (10), stablemate of last year's winner Arabian Summer.