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By Ray Hickson

His rides have been called daring, gutsy, they’re definitely exciting, and jockey Delcan Bates says he will never tire of the journey Pride Of Jenni is taking him on.

Jockey Delcan Bates (Pic: Bradley Photos)

The reigning Horse Of The Year is back at Randwick on Saturday for the first time since her headline making Queen Elizabeth Stakes win to chase the ‘Royal double’ in the Group 1 $5 million King Charles III Stakes (1600m).

And Bates knows all eyes are on the Ciaron Maher-trained mare, what sort of lead she opens up, and whether she can repeat what we saw back in April.

“I’ll never get sick of talking about her I reckon,’’ Bates said.

“That last win in Sydney really elevated her profile and put some razzamatazz around her.

“I’m aware I’m in a lucky position to find a horse like this. A lot of really good jockeys can go their whole career without being involved with a horse of this calibre.

“I don’t let it overwhelm me, I approach each race like it’s any other but if we’re lucky enough to win I’ll really enjoy it then.”

Scenes of Pride Of Jenni’s as much as 100-metre lead in the Queen Elizabeth, pictures of her flying solo around the home turn, and of Bates guiding her to the line six lengths clear of her rivals have been beamed around the world in the six months since that breathtaking performance.

The mare was at her brilliant best establishing a lead of some 10 lengths before holding them off in the Feehan Stakes over the mile third-up so there’s some expectation around what the mid-race margin will be at Randwick.

Bates said he’s not going to change anything about how he rides Pride Of Jenni, $2 with TAB on Thursday, but is aware that others are trying hard to work out how to bring her undone.

“Maybe it will get harder from here on in, but it’s one thing to have a plan how to beat her but another to actually pull it off,’’ Bates said.

“She just gets others out of their comfort zone and it makes it really difficult for them.

“Ideally we do like to build a gap on them. The way she races her last furlong she’s always going to get that bit tired, it’s nice to have a buffer for her to hold on.

“Moonee Valley is a bit different because it’s a tight turning track so I was able to go hard and try and punch a break on those bends. Randwick is more of a galloping track but a lot of her best wins are over a mile at Flemington so I think a mile at Randwick will suit her strengths.

“It’s a matter of riding her to her strengths and letting her get to her top speed comfortably.

“If I can do that it’s a matter of letting her use that high speed. If we can have a gap on them without overdoing it that’s when she’s really hard to beat.”

There’s no doubting the form out of the seven-year-old’s Feehan Stakes win has been strong – while runner-up Mr Brightside was beaten into second in the Might & Power, third placed Antino won the Group 1 Toorak while the last of the four, Attrition, came to Sydney and won the $2m Hill Stakes.

Bates said that form boost is encouraging but he’s also certain there was some upside remaining as she readies for a clash with Sydney's star Fangirl.

“Some horses that come up against her it probably makes them or breaks them,’’ he said.

“When you race against her you’re going to have a good hard race and clearly those few horses its done them good to try and chase her down because they’ve come out of it and won since.

“She’s probably taken some improvement out of that. The King Charles has been her target this prep since the start of it so Ciaron would be looking to have her peak, so she goes there with no stone unturned.”

Relive Pride Of Jenni's Queen Elizabeth Stakes win

Maher said he loves watching Pride Of Jenni race and the fact that people love her style of racing.

He echoed Bates’ sentiment that there was some added fitness to go on top of her third-up win and that will make her hard to run down once again.

“It’s such a unique way of racing in this country and she just brings so much to each race,’’ Maher said.

“I just love training her and competing her. It’s just thrilling, at Moonee Valley she was the reason a lot of people were there.

“I think she’s come on coat wise, her fitness was pretty good in the Feehan and I think she’s taken a little bit of improvement so she’s ready to go.”

All the fields, form and replays for TAB Everest Day at Royal Randwick