When the Cox Plate field hits the back straight on Saturday and Pride Of Jenni has put her customary gap on them, there will be one man in Australia who knows how Declan Bates will be feeling.
Thirty-four years ago, Kevin Moses and Stylish Century had cleared out to the point the camera could not fit all 11 runners in shot. His lead was so big the race callers could not be confident of the margin, their estimations ranging from 12 to 15 lengths.
Pride Of Jenni is in a world of her own at the end of the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.Credit: Getty
The soundtrack of a race for rider and punter could not be more different. We hear the call of the race until it is drowned out by the roar of the crowd cheering their bet on. We are not privy to the pounding of hooves, the heavy breathing of the horses, and the shouts from hoops letting each other know where they are in between vigorous encouragement of their mounts.
For the jockey on a tearaway leader, there is an almost eerie silence.
“People don’t realise there’s a lot of talk during the races among the jockeys,” Moses said. “We don’t have rear-vision mirrors. You’re about to cut someone off and a jockey will say, ‘I’m still here, give me room.’ Then you hear nothing.
“When you can’t hear them, you know you’re that little bit extra in front.”
Unfortunately for Moses, he was too far in front, helping set the speed for the champion Better Loosen Up to run a track record.
If he was not aware he had gone a “fraction too fast” when he was swallowed up entering Moonee Valley’s short straight, he was given a terse reminder from the horse’s owner, Dick Monaghan.
“[Trainer] Billy Mitchell didn’t say much, the owner had plenty to say,” Moses said. “He always had plenty to say.
“I had to accept that. I knew I went too fast, though through the race I didn’t know, then I looked at the replay and thought, ‘Shit, you’ve just blown your chances.’”
The best jockeys are excellent judges of pace – as if they have an internal stopwatch counting the seconds, telling them exactly how fast they are travelling. Bates won’t be using his in the Cox Plate for fear of overcomplicating matters.
In racing parlance, Pride Of Jenni is one of those horses who has a high cruising speed, a kinder way of saying she does not have the acceleration of others.
Bates’ aim will be finding tempo that takes the finishing sprint out of the legs of Pride Of Jenni’s rivals without running herself ragged, but also knowing if he goes too slow he could be outsprinted in the run home.
“With her, I try not to count,” Bates said. “I try to keep as little as possible going through my mind when it comes to riding her. It’s just a matter of concentrating on her. If I tried to count exactly, I’d end up almost going too slow. It’s about trusting her, really focusing on how she’s doing and is it in a nice relaxed manner?”
Being out on their own in the front, away from the hustle and bustle, helps Bates figure this out.
“When you get that far in front it can become almost eerily quiet, almost a track gallop,” Bates said.
“You can hear everything your horse is doing. As jockeys, we do pay attention to their breathing. If you’re in the pack, you start to lose a bit of that feel for everything you’re hearing.
“Being in front, you get a good feel for how they’re doing it. It simplifies it. You’ve got to concentrate on your horse and get it right. There’s no excuses if you get it wrong, you can’t say you got held up.”
Pride Of Jenni’s owner Tony Ottobre.Credit: Getty Images
The template is Pride Of Jenni’s 6½-length romp in this year’s Queen Elizabeth Stakes over 2000 metres at Randwick, when she led by an estimated 30 lengths. The extraordinary manner of her win drew attention overseas.
Bates’ first ride on Pride Of Jenni did not come until her ninth start. It was also the first time connections attempted their brazen tactics at group level. Despite finishing second in a group 2 race at the monstrous price of $61, it took another two years for him to become her regular rider. Owner Tony Ottobre wanted him back.
“Tony was thinking back through her races, and thought how I rode her that day was the best way to ride her,” Bates said.
“He rang up and said, ‘I want you back on board.’ She was starting to come to her true potential at the time, so it was a good time to get back on.
Stylish Century with Kevin Moses aboard at the 1990 Cox Plate.Credit: Andrew Taylor/Fairfax Media
“Not that Ciaron didn’t want me on. He decided he wanted me to be around. Ciaron’s been great to ride for. At this stage, he seems to trust that I know her well.”
Bates, like the rest of the Pride Of Jenni camp, is adamant they do not have to lead, saying “all options are open”, though many believe they are merely foxing, frustrated by their defeat last week in the Prince Charles III Stakes when Adam Hyeronimus on Major Beel made them work harder than usual for the lead.
It will be a surprise to most if she does not bowl along at the front, and with a considerable break. Unlike 34 years ago for Moses, Bates will be hoping silence is golden.
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
