Pride Of Jenni's owner Tony Ottobre ahead of Doomben Cup
There are two things Tony Ottobre will never do again.
Make a snap decision on race day.
Or go on social media.
Pride Of Jenni's owner admits he made a blue with his emotional announcement that his star horse had been retired when she was eased down in last November's Champions Mile at Flemington after suffering a bleed.
'It was just after the race, the (media) microphones came in and people wanted to talk to me and I had already had a bad day,' Ottobre said.
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'She had bled and, already, some people were starting to bag me and were bagging (trainer) Ciaron Maher.
'It was the most disappointing day at the races in my life.
'You don't make decisions on race day but I said, 'nah, I'm going to retire her, I've had enough'.
'You never make decisions on race day, but that's what I did.
'About a week or so later, after we got her back to my place (Cape Schanck Stud on the Mornington Peninsula) I started to think about it some more.
'I thought that she had basically got a blood nose. Why couldn't she race again?
'Plenty of other horses have done it.'
Tony Ottobre (middle) after Pride Of Jenni bounced out of retirement and won the Peter Young Stakes at Caulfield in March. Picture: Racing Photos
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Freakish frontrunning mare Pride Of Jenni, the reigning horse of the year, showed she was still a force to be reckoned with after scoring the Peter Young Stakes in March when she bounced back from retirement.
A vindicated Ottobre has now set his sights on Queensland and Saturday's Group 1 Doomben Cup which features a blockbuster clash between Pride Of Jenni and the Sunshine State's best horse Antino.
There will be something for everyone in the Doomben Cup with many eyes on Pride Of Jenni up front, but also watching Blake Shinn aiming to pull a rabbit out of his hat with another daring ride on Tony Gollan's star Antino.
Tony Ottobre and reigning Horse Of The Year Pride of Jenni.
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Whatever the Doomben Cup result, Ottobre won't see the social media light up after the race.
He used to enjoy social media, sometimes spicing things up with a 'bit of banter' which he believed helped to make racing fun.
Ottobre knows he might not be everyone's cup of tea, but says some of the vitriol he copped was beyond the pale.
He has banned himself from social media and will never be back on socials.
'I'm not a sook or anything, but some of it was getting out of hand,' Ottobre said.
'If a bloke comes into my golf club and he's an idiot, we don't talk to him.
Pride Of Jenni and owner Tony Ottobre after the mare's victory in the Listed Anniversary Vase at Caulfield on May 3. Picture: Scott Barbour / Racing Photos
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So I was thinking to myself, why would I be on social media, with all the knockers giving it to me?
'Some of it was really nasty.
'Nobody probably wants to talk to a lot of these people in their real lives, so they go on social media.
'Why would I want to get involved in that?
'There is also a really sad side to social media, there are kids who have killed themselves because of social media abuse.
'I don't know how you monitor it.
'These days, I have no idea what is going on with social media and I don't want to know.'
Vo Rogue, back in the day.
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Ottobre is about to jet into Brisbane for the Doomben Cup and he will have a special guest with him at the races on Saturday.
He has struck up a friendship, largely via text messages, with Vo Rogue's legendary jockey Cyril Small.
The similarities between Pride Of Jenni's dashing frontrunning style and that of Small's former star are easy to spot.
'We have got Cyril Small with us on Saturday, so that will be great,' Ottobre said.
Cyril Small. Picture: Portia Large
'He has been really into the whole Pride Of Jenni journey, and the way she runs.
'He loves how she races and she reminds him of Vo Rogue.
'With Pride Of Jenni these days, we will take every run as it comes.
'At the moment, we know the horse is happy and she is enjoying what she is doing.
'She is a drawcard for a lot of people and if she had stayed in retirement, the members of the public would have missed out on watching a really good horse continue to race.
'A lot of people want to see her and take pictures of her and I think that is just great.'
All of Ottobre and his wife Lynn's horses carry the name 'Jenni', in honour of their daughter Jennifer who died from a brain tumour in 2015.
It will be the latest deeply emotional moment in an extraordinary chapter of Australian racing history if Pride Of Jenni busts her rivals hearts and surges to Doomben Cup glory on Saturday.
Originally published as 'Some of it was really nasty': Tony Ottobre on Pride Of Jenni, social media and race day regrets ahead of 2025 Doomben Cup mission
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