Next Saturday’s final weight-for-age feature in Australia for the season will take on a whole new look with news that front-running star Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) will tackle the Gr.2 A$1.2 million Q22 over 2200 metres at Eagle Farm.

On Sunday morning, Pride Of Jenni's owner Tony Ottobre confirmed to Gareth Hall that the Trelawney Stud bred star would step up in distance.

Earlier, Ciaron Maher’s assistant trainer Jack Turnbull said on Saturday that no decision had been made on the mare’s immediate future, he conceded she was in training in Queensland and was in the right shape to take her first step beyond 2000 metres.

“Potentially,” he said of the Q22. “She is ticking over. She went out on the grass, but she probably will stay moving until the spring really because a mare like that, you can’t really stop.

“Ultimately, it will be up to Tony (Ottobre, her owner) but she’s in work and she’s rock-hard fit.

“It’s only a furlong (200m) more than what she has been successful at and in Doomben Cup.

“It’s an option. In terms of whether it’s a definite plan ‘no’ but she’s well and if Tony wants to give her a chance and if Ciaron is happy with her, ultimately maybe."

Pride Of Jenni has been out to 2000 metres eight times in her career for one win, but that win was her most memorable as it came in the 2024 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick, where she went out to a 30-length lead and still had 6.5 lengths up her sleeve on the line.

She has also been runner-up three times at 2000 metres – twice in the Australian Cup and once at her latest run when she was mowed down late by Birdman in the Gr.1 Doomben Cup.

There will be a number of leading stables keeping an eye on the Q22 nominations as Pride Of Jenni changes the complexion of the races she contests given the manner in which she dominates from the front.

Nominations for the meeting, which also contains the Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap, Gr.1 J.J. Atkins Stakes and Gr.2 Brisbane Cup, will close on Monday at 11am local time. - Racing.com

Further Queensland assignments await Platinum Pantheon

Further Queensland targets are instore for Palmerston North sprinter Platinum Pantheon (Hanseatic) following his runner-up effort in the Listed Queensland Day Stakes (1200m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

The three-year-old son of Hanseatic booked his ticket across the Tasman following his second placing in the Gr.3 Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m) at Te Rapa on ANZAC Day, with his first two runs in Australia producing sixth placings in the Gr.3 Gold Coast Guineas (1200m) and Gr.3 Fred Best Classic (1400m).

Trainer Lisa Latta then took aim at the Queensland Day Stakes with her exciting gelding and he impressed her when storming home late to come within three-quarters of a length of winner Earn To Burn.

“He ended up going back, which is where we thought he would be,” Latta said. “He had to weave his way through them and didn’t quite get to the outside when he needed to, but he finished off fantastic.

“Mark (Du Plessis, jockey) thinks he is a pretty smart horse.”

Buoyed by Platinum Pantheon’s performance, Latta is electing to press on further into his Queensland winter campaign.

“We would be flat getting into the first Group One sprint of the season (in New Zealand) at the moment, so we are probably better to push forward a little bit on this side and give him a nice spell over here and then bring him back,” Latta said.

“There is a nice 1350 at Ipswich in a fortnight and we will look to head there next.”

Latta said Platinum Pantheon has enjoyed the warmer climes of Brisbane and is planning on bringing him back to Queensland next year.

“He is thriving over here, and the trip will be the making of him,” she said. “Hopefully we can come back here next year and aim for some really nice races.” - LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

Fly My Wey on track for Winter Series Final

Fly My Wey (NZ) (Sweynesse) showed he is on track for The Lawn Shed Winter Series Stayers Final at Ellerslie in a fortnight following his win in the Yourride 2100 at the Auckland track on Saturday.

From his ace draw, the seven-year-old gelding was beaten for early speed and was taken back by jockey Jasmine Fawcett to settle four back on the fence, with apprentice jockey Elen Nicholas setting a solid tempo upfront aboard Pacheco.

They had the field strung out for much of the journey, but Fawcett kept her cool on Fly My Wey before improving him around a tiring Bosch with 500m to go.

Turning for home, Fly My Wey had a wall of four horses in front of him, but Fawcett drew him to the outside and he slowly ate into their lead, drawing alongside Drop Of Something with 150m to go and he hit the front shortly after. Race favourite Super Fly came flying home out wide, but Fly My Wey was able to hold off her challenge to win by a long neck.

Fawcett was confident of a bold showing from her charge and she was delighted he was able to deliver.  

“It always gives you a big thrill when you think a horse can win and it does,” she said.

His trainer Mark Brosnan was also upbeat about his prospects, however, he did hold concerns about the rain-affected going.

“It was a brave performance,” he said. “I was pretty confident he would go well on his work on Tuesday morning, but I was a bit sceptical that he might not handle the ground, but he did well.”

The Lawn Shed Winter Series Stayers Final (2100m) at Ellerslie in a fortnight now looms as Fly My Wey’s next target, and Brosnan his hoping he can snare the lion’s share of the $70,000 purse.

“He will come back here in two weeks’ time for that bigger race and hopefully he can do it again then,” he said.

A $3,800 purchase via gavelhouse.com in 2020, Fly My Wey is out of the four-win mare Fly Silca Fly and he has now won six and placed in 16 of his 60 starts to date, with earnings north of $290,000. - Joshua Smith LOVERACING.NZ News Desk