Maher eyes 2025 Melbourne Cup ticket with Jennivamoose

Jockey Harry Coffey says Jennivamoose is starting to show the qualities required of a staying mare capable of progressing to tougher company after another Moonee Valley win on Saturday.

The Ciaron Maher-trained galloper made it consecutive victories at The Valley by capturing the Simpson Construction Handicap (2500m), giving her three wins from her last four starts.

Coffey, who also partnered her on August 9, likened her attributes to a familiar Maher stayer. “I’ve had a lot to do with Ciaron’s stable and a lot of his stayers, and she is showing some similar traits as what High Emocean was, you could say,” Coffey said. “I won a Bendigo Cup on her before she went on to place in the Melbourne Cup.”

He admitted the path ahead will be challenging. “It’s very hard at this time of year to go up in grade when you play against this level and they look like they can go to the next level, but time and time again they get found out. But at the moment she is doing everything right and I can’t shy away from that just yet.”

Jennivamoose started a well-backed $2.70 favourite and narrowly held off Muktamil ($4.60) by a short neck, with Bold Soul ($6.50) finishing a close third. Her next target will likely be the Group 3 The Archer (2500m) at Flemington on September 13, which guarantees the winner a start in the Melbourne Cup (3200m).

“The race everyone wants to have a throw at is The Archer, so we’ll see where she fits in and with today’s win, I assume she will get in,” Coffey said. “She did give me a good feel today, although it was a little bit closer than I thought. When she quickened, she quickened like the winner and quickened like she was going to round them up easily. Maybe the battle we got in was a mixture of the horses meeting her better at the weights and it might be difficult today to do what I did on her, loop the field, with the rail placement and chasing better horses.”