Jenni on track for Cox Plate

[Wandering Eyes]

Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) will at this stage take her place in Saturday’s Cox Plate at The Valley, with the mighty mare coming through her narrow King Charles III Stakes defeat in good order.

Trainer Ciaron Maher had a close eye on the Trelawney Stud bred galloper post-race last week and said she is showing no ill-effects from the gutsy run.

“I followed her down to the swabbing box post her run on Saturday, just to see how she was and she pulled up pretty good,” he said.

“She went down to Bong Bong, she’s been in the spa and paddock the last couple of days and there’s nothing I’ve seen to think she wouldn’t back up.

“All signs are pretty positive at the moment.”

Part of Pride Of Jenni’s recovery has involved the use of a hyperbaric chamber, where oxygen pressure is increased by two to three times, allowing the lungs to gather more oxygen than usual and assisting in overall healing.

With the Bong Bong chamber only commencing operations in the past few weeks, Ciaron Maher Racing is at this stage the only Australian stable with one available.

“The hyperbaric chamber is used a lot with people, it’s oxygen infused,” Maher said.

“She (Jenni) hadn’t been in it before, she was a little bit nervous when she got in, but she settled down over the next couple of days.

“It aids everything, really. Soft tissue, lungs, it just aids in the whole recovery process.

“It’s going to be a tough-enough ask, but if any horse can do it, she can. The way she came out of the race the other day, we haven’t seen anything to deter us yet.”

Pride Of Jenni arrives back in Melbourne on Wednesday evening and naturally priority will be ensuring her condition, with any subsequent work to be of a ‘tick-over’ nature.

“She comes back Wednesday and just ticks over, keeping everything as smooth as possible,” Maher said.

“It’s all about recovery, so you’re just keeping them happy. Hopefully the trip back is smooth and she can take her place on Saturday.”

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