Declan Bates pulled off a contender for ride of the season when he engineered a dazzling Empire Rose Stakes success aboard Pride Of Jenni at Flemington on Saturday.
Bates partnered the headstrong mare to an all-the-way win in the $1 million Group 1, which was her first at the highest level.
The daughter of Pride Of Dubai led by up to six lengths at certain stages of the 1600-metre event, with a similar gap between second-placed Deny Knowledge and the remainder of the runners coming to the turn, but Bates was able to get her to hold on.
The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained mare, who started $16, scored by one length from Atishu ($4.20 fav), who was 2-3/4 lengths clear of third placegetter Life Lessons ($21).
“We know how she runs, it’s a matter of executing that ride, and it can be a bit of a balancing act,” Bates said.
“I was actually quite happy we drew the outside gate, it just meant I didn’t have to worry about anything to my outside and having dig up and hold them out, and it was just a matter of letting her flow to the front nice and easy.
“I was a bit worried midway, she wasn’t quite coming underneath me and relaxing the way I taught and hoped, but she’s got such an engine, she can keep running.
“She breaks their hearts. She deserves a Group One because she’s run well in a lot of them.”
The victory was Pride Of Jenni’s fourth from 24 starts, while she has finishing in the minor money on four occasions.
One of those was two starts prior, in the Group 2 Stocks Stakes (1600m) at The Valley when second to Amelia’s Jewel in track-record time, and Maher said Bates gets on particularly well with her.
“He’s got a great affinity with her, it was a daring ride but that’s the type of race she needs to run to run her best.”
Pride Of Jenni’s time of 1:34.86 on the Good 3 surface was more than one second outside Scenic Peak’s 21-year-old track record but just 0.02secs outside Colette’s class record set in the same race two years earlier.
