The Ciaron Maher stable has a proven track record of maximising the potential of mares as they age.
Examples like Bella Nipotina and Pride Of Jenni demonstrate horses who maintained their class into their later racing years.
Tennessee Bound, while not quite at that elite level, possesses a unique aspect to her racing record that those two outstanding mares do not share.
Across six career starts, Tennessee Bound has yet to be defeated, and she will be aiming to prolong this perfect record in the Dr Sheahan Plate (1300m) at Sandown this Saturday.
The start of Tennessee Bound’s career was delayed until October of last year due to issues with immature knees, and the Maher team has handled her progression with expert care.
Jack Turnbull, the National Assistant Trainer for Ciaron Maher Racing, spoke about the stable’s careful selection of races for the mare.
“We’d have her in, give her a break, and thankfully (owner) Gerry (Ryan) just said do what you have to do,” Turnbull said.
“She’s a mare that has taken time and hopefully the time given repays us, but we can’t hide her now as we’ve placed her as best as we can.
“She’s in a 1300-metre benchmark 88 and we feel as though that’s that next bracket, but it’s tougher again than what she has been meeting.”
Turnbull noted that the team is uncertain about the upper limits of Tennessee Bound’s racing ability.
If Tennessee Bound manages to continue her winning form on Saturday, a possibility exists for her to contest the Group 2 Let’s Elope Stakes (1400m), a feature mares’ race at Flemington on September 12.
To date, Tennessee Bound has not raced beyond 1200m, making Saturday’s event a new challenge for the mare.
“If she was successful, a race that comes to mind is the Let’s Elope, potentially stepping up to 1400 (metres),” Turnbull explained.
“She’s a speed horse, so we don’t have to stretch her if we don’t want to.
“We would only be thinking of Black Type if she was winning again.
“It’s hard to determine how good she might be because she is still only lightly raced, but she will come back and be better again, I’m sure.
“What she is racing against and her ratings, she is that Listed, Group 3 level now, at the right time, but to say she’s a Group 1 horse is a bit audacious given her trajectory has been monitored.”
Throughout her winning streak, Tennessee Bound has consistently been positioned in the top three, including leading from start to finish in her last two assignments.
“If there is genuine pace in the race (on Saturday), we would love to be third, fourth, fifth, in that sweet spot,” Turnbull stated.
“She is unbeaten, she seems to raise the bar every time it is asked and hopefully, she can do it again on Saturday.”
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