A win in the 2024 All-Star Mile at Caulfield Racecourse helped to propel Pride of Jenni to the title of Australian Horse of the Year for the 2023-2024 season.
When Pride of Jenni starts in Friday’s All-Star Mile at Flemington Racecourse, she will be after her fifth Group 1 win. The All-Star Mile gained Group 1 status in 2025 and was won by Tom Kitten, another contender in Saturday’s race.
One significant change from 2024 to this year’s running is the purse. The race was worth $2.47 million in 2024 and $1.57 million last year. This year’s purse is $1.4 million.
Pride of Jenni was the 3-1 favorite in early betting on Wednesday over Treasurethe Moment at 9-2 and Tom Kitten at 5-1. The race drew a field of 11.
The All-Star Mile will be Pride of Jenni’s first start since she finished seventh of eight in the Group 1 Champions Mile at Flemington in November on heavy turf, fading from an early lead. Pride of Jenni, a 9-year-old Southern Hemisphere mare, has won 12 of 43 starts, with 11 of those wins on good or soft turf and one on heavy turf. The Flemington course is expected to be good on Saturday.
:: Get free past performances, analysis, and picks for international racing, including Australia
Treasurethe Moment, a seven-time group stakes winner in 17 starts, was also beaten in her last start, finishing third by three-quarters of a length after holding an early lead in the Group 1 Futurity Stakes at Caulfield on Feb. 21.
Tom Kitten is easy to like. He won his 2026 debut, closing from sixth of eight in the Group 3 Heffernan Stakes at seven furlongs at Caulfield on Feb. 7.
The All-Star Mile has a post time of 11:40 p.m. Eastern.
Newmarket Handicap
The largest field on the 10-race Flemington program is the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap at six furlongs, which drew 15. The race will be run a little more than an hour after the All-Star Mile.
The Southern Hemisphere 3-year-old Tentryis, a winner of 5 of 8 starts, including his last four races, was 7-5 on Wednesday in the big field. Tentryis has won Group 1 races in his last two starts, both at Flemington – the Coolmore Stakes at six furlongs in November and the Lightning Stakes at five furlongs on Feb. 14.
The 3-year-old filly My Gladiola, second in the Coolmore and Lightning, was 9-2 on Wednesday to upset Tentryis.
Canterbury Stakes
At Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on Saturday, the 5-year-old Southern Hemisphere mare Joliestar will be favored to win her fourth Group 1 in the $525,000 Canterbury Stakes at 6 1/2 furlongs.
The winner of the 2025 Newmarket Stakes, Joliestar won her first start of 2026 in the Group 2 Expressway Stakes at six furlongs at Randwick on Feb. 14, her eighth win in 19 career starts.
Lady Shenandoah, also a three-time Group 1 winner, was the 7-2 second choice behind 3-2 Joliestar in early betting. Lady Shenandoah, a 4-year-old filly, was third in the Expressway.
Randwick Guineas
The filly Sheza Alibi leads a field of nine Southern Hemisphere 3-year-olds in the Group 1 Randwick Guineas at a mile, her first start in a race at the highest level.
The 3-2 favorite as of Wednesday, Sheza Alibi has won her last three starts in group stakes at distances ranging from seven furlongs to a mile. She won the Group 2 Armanasco Stakes at seven furlongs by 2 1/4 lengths on Feb. 21 in her first start since a win in the Group 2 Sandown Guineas at a mile at Caulfield in November.
Autumn Boy, winner of the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas at a mile in October, is expected to play a vital role from off the pace. Autumn Boy closed well to finish third by 1 1/2 lengths in the Group 2 Hobartville Stakes at seven furlongs at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse on Feb. 21, his first start since the top-level win in October.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.