The surprise racetrack return of Australian Horse of the Year Pride Of Jenni on Saturday, months after she had been retired, has focused as much on her controversial owner Tony Ottobre as it has on the champion mare.
Ottobre has attracted attention for his forthright and unorthodox approach. He requested runaway tactics on Pride Of Jenni, a year before they proved successful in a Queen Elizabeth Stakes for the ages, and later, when things didn’t go his way, he complained to stewards about rides aboard rivals in the King Charles III Stakes in October.
This time in, he made the bold call to bring her back into training after an intended trip to Japan for a mating with Equinox fell through. He sacked jockey Declan Bates, who executed the famous front-running ride in the Queen Elizabeth, instead opting for veteran rider Craig Newitt.
Forget the fireworks on the track, because it has been as much of a saga away from it.
While Ottobre is outspoken, he is not the only divisive owner in the Australian industry. Seven-time Group 1 winner Alligator Blood is weeks away from a return to racing and his owner Allan Endresz has also polarised opinion.
Historically, racing has been all about one owner betting that he is superior to another, simply because of what his horse does on the track.
Over centuries, much has changed about the sport as it has modernised and spread worldwide, but one element that has remained a global fixture is the maverick owner.
Who could forget John Yuen, the owner of champion miler Good Ba Ba? Yuen was given an official warning by stewards after frequently changing stables with the three-time Hong Kong Mile winner: three stints with Andreas Schütz and one each with Tony Millard, Alex Wong, Derek Cruz and Michael Chang. That doesn’t include Gary Moore in Macau or Rick Hore-Lacy in Australia after he departed Sha Tin.
Japan had Kiyoshi Iwasaki, whose vigorous campaigning of filly Sanei Thank You in 1991 and 1992 drew harsh criticism. Against the judgement of her trainer, track rider and jockey, Iwasaki decided she should contest the 1992 Arima Kinen but she broke down at the 200m.
In the United States currently, there are a number of brash owners like Vitaminwater billionaire Mike Repole, the self-appointed “racing commissioner” who has built his stable meticulously over three decades, and big-spending newcomer John Stewart.
Their horses will clash on the track on a number of occasions this year but it is their war of words across social media that has built up an intense rivalry.
The racing dramas that have been depicted on the big screen often have an outspoken owner as the villain.
In Seabiscuit, it is War Admiral’s owner Samuel Riddle, whose disdain for racing away from the east coast of the United States meant that his best ever horse Man O’ War did not contest the Kentucky Derby. In Riddle’s eyes, California may as well have been fifth division compared to the top tier and the prospect of a challenge from the state’s best horse Seabiscuit was laughable.
Of course, history records Seabiscuit as the winner over War Admiral in their famous 1938 match race.
On paper, Pride Of Jenni should win the G2 Peter Young Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield on Saturday. She should lead at a comfortable tempo and, at weight-for-age, she could perform well below her best and still take the prize.
If she loses, though, expect to hear plenty from – and about – her owner ∎
