The path for New Zealand-born filly Jenni In Rome to reach Sydney was far from conventional, requiring three attempts and a purpose-built freight container. However, trainers Richard and Will Freedman report that her transition has been flawless.
Acquired from the Karaka Sale, the two-year-old faced an unexpected challenge when she refused to enter a crate for her planned flight across the Tasman.
“It took them three goes to get her from New Zealand here on the plane,” Will Freedman stated. “These big New Zealand men were trying to lift her on, and she was like, ‘nope, not having a bar of it’. She just refused to go anywhere near it. They ended up putting her on (the plane) without the container, and then they built it around her. There was one point where I felt like I was going to have to tell the owners I was going to train her remotely in New Zealand. But she has come over here and been bombproof.”
After showing promise in her barrier trials, Jenni In Rome made a significant late run from the second half of the pack to finish third in the Kirkham Plate (1000m) on her debut.
She appeared to be in a winning position midway up the straight but tired in the final 100 metres. Freedman is confident that this race experience will lead to substantial improvement for Saturday’s Golden Gift (1100m) at Rosehill, despite her wide barrier draw.
“She had a really healthy, big blow after her first start and I think she needed that run,” Freedman said. “She’s come through the run well. She looks like a pre-Christmas two-year-old. I remember looking at her in the yard in the Kirkham, and she was smaller in stature than a lot of her counterparts, but quite often those are the two-year-olds that really do thrive at this time of year.”
Jenni In Rome will race at Rosehill for the first time, but she trains at the track and benefited from a course proper gallop there on Monday.
Regular jockey Jason Collett will again be in the saddle for the Golden Gift. The race’s considerable $1 million prizemoney ensures that the winner and the second-place getter will secure enough earnings to guarantee a start in next year’s Golden Slipper.
“She got a look around the course proper on Monday, which is a big thing for these two-year-olds. She’s not going to have to go to an unfamiliar environment,” Freedman added. “It’s all about the little details that make a big difference in the end.”
A full field of 14 runners and four reserves have been accepted for the Golden Gift, with Jenni In Rome being one of seven runners with previous racing experience.
Betting markets for the Golden Gift are now open at various sports betting platforms.