A closer look at the TAB Australian Cup

Already the oldest mare to win at the highest level in Australia since the Group 1 classification system was introduced in 1979 thanks to her win in last year’s TAB Empire Rose Stakes (1600m), the eight-year-old gets the chance to better that every time she contests another Group 1.

The Ciaron Maher-trained mare will do that again this weekend at Flemington when she runs in the $2 million TAB Australian Cup (2000m) for the third time.

She went close at her first attempt, cut down late by Cascadian, but was down the track last year behind stablemate Light Infantry Man.

Pride Of Jenni ran to 117 on the Timeform scale in her first TAB Australian Cup, which she followed by going 129 in her unforgettable Queen Elizabeth Stakes win, but she has not gone anywhere near those two ratings in her 2000m runs since.

She has beaten home a total of four runners in three runs at that distance range, including a second-last placing in last year’s TAB Australian Cup, and failed to crack triple figures on the Timeform scale.

Poor recent form at 2000m is not the only trend Pride Of Jenni needs to buck this weekend, heading into the race second-up after a third placing in the Group 1 All-Star Mile (1600m) on March 7.

Her overall second-up record reads impressively, with her 2024 All-Star Mile win having come at her second run back from a spell, while she also boasts five minor placings from 10 starts.

But two of the unplaced runs have come at her past two second-up appearances.

She tackled last year’s TAB Australian Cup second-up, while last spring she was second-up in the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes, when she ran seventh in a rating of 113.

Pride Of Jenni will need to go a few lengths better than that if she is to win the TAB Australian Cup.

The average winning rating this century is 122.5 and while that has dipped slightly in the past 10 years, it’s still 120.6 in that decade.

Light Infantry Man, who will this weekend seek to become the sixth dual winner of the race first run in 1863, ran 122 to win last year’s edition which remains his career peak.

Tom Kitten is coming off a 122 win in the All-Star Mile, his second-straight win in that race after going to 123 to win last year.

The only other runner in this year’s race who boasts a 120 or better performance is Birdman, who ran 121 to win the Group 2 Peter Young Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield on March 14.

That Chris Waller-trained import is out to become the 11th horse to complete the Peter Young Stakes/Australian Cup double, but the first since Fiorente in 2014.

Fiorente started favourite, as Birdman is this year, but the TAB Australian Cup has been a challenging race for those towards the head of the market since Fiorente with Cascadian ($4 in 2023) and Humidor ($4.20ef - 2017) the only two punters’ picks to score in that time.