Victory by Pride Of Jenni at Caulfield has forced the Melbourne Racing Club to shout the bar.
Reigning Horse of the Year Pride Of Jenni has made a triumphant return to the track taking out the Group 2 Peter Young Stakes at Caulfield.
Saturday's 1800m weight-for-age content was the first time Pride Of Jenni had been successful in eight previous first-up attempts.
It prompted the Melbourne Racing Club to 'shout the bar' with all racegoers given a ticket on entry that entitled them to a drink on a hot Melbourne day.
Pride Of Jenni had been retired after a bleeding attack in the Group 1 Champions Mile (1600m) at Flemington last November, but after recovering at owner Tony Ottobre's Cape Schanck Stud on the Mornington Peninsula, it was decided to give the mare another chance.
Easy in market, Pride Of Jenni ($3.80) took up her customary position under Craig Newitt at the head of affairs before defeating the $2.10 favourite Zardozi by 2-¾ lengths with Bois D'Argent ($16) a further 2-½ lengths away third.
The Ciaron Maher stable delves into a lot of data with their gallopers, and assistant trainer Jack Turnbull said the statistics the mare had been returning were as good as when she was racing at her peak.
Turnbull said the victory, while not at the highest level, was still rated highly by the stable.
"Just the lead up into this race and obviously the form she had in the spring and what she'd done to herself, it's just an amazing team effort to get her back," Turnbull said.
"We've got a lot of information on her, a lot of workouts and the like to compare her and we'd just done certain workouts that were pretty tough by our standards, and she just bounced through them.
"Ciaron was there a few times and scratched his head and thought, hang on, we're a bit more forward than we think we are.
"We just kept putting the pressure on and she just kept stepping up, even throughout this week, she had a good bit of work on the Saturday, and again on the Tuesday.
"She is just a freak of nature, she's a credit to herself."
Turnbull said the next logical step was to head to the Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m) at Flemington on March 29, and then potentially to Sydney for a couple of Group 1 assignments.
"Given the way she's run there and won, the Australian Cup would have to be looked at for sure," Turnbull said.
"But then up in Sydney you've got races like Queen Of The Turf if you come back in trip slightly or the Queen Elizabeth which would be her ultimate grand final but for the moment, we'll just savour this win.
"It's a great effort and thankfully we have her back."