Artie eager to bounce back on home track

By Jordan Gerrans

If Group 1 conditioner Paul Jenkins was to compare his training career to a race, he says the field has turned for home after the last corner.

At 66 years of age, the Sunshine Coast-based Jenkins reckons he is the final stages of a training tenure that took him to the highest level on several occasions.

In saying that, Jenkins isn’t easing into retirement and thinks he still has a good horse or two left in him as he edges closer to the finish line.

In recent times, Jenkins’ stable has been led by gelding I Am Artie who the veteran mentor hopes can recapture his best form, starting this Saturday afternoon on his home track.

I Am Artie was earlier this week nominated for the Listed Sunshine Coast Cup before the Kiwi trainer opted for a slightly easier assignment for the six-year-old gelding.

I Am Artie contested feature events in his last two outings and Jenkins has decided a Benchmark 85 Handicap over 1600 metres will be more suitable this week.

“He's well, he worked really well on the course proper on Tuesday morning,” Jenkins sad.

“I was more than pleased with his work as was Corey Sutherland who ride him.”

I Am Artie was handed 61kg when acceptances were released on Wednesday morning with Sutherland’s three-kilogram claim set to off-set his impost. 

Jenkins won the Group 1 Doomben Cup with King Keitel in 2001 before later claiming the Group 1 Auckland Cup and Group 1 Zabeel Classic with Bazelle in 2005.

He has been based in Australia for more than a decade. 

Through the back end of 2024, it looked like I Am Artie was on his way to race in the elite company. 

Between August of 2024 and December of that year, Jenkins’ up-and-coming galloper won six races and finished second on two more occasions from just eight starts.

In his final run for the campaign, he led in the Listed Tails Stakes at Eagle Farm over 1500 metres and was only overturned in the final strides.

In seven runs since then, I Am Artie has only placed once.

Jenkins is hopeful he has got his stable star near back to his best after an operation.

“He was a lovely horse, he was flawless and easy to train,” Jenkins reflected on the gelding’s stellar 2024 season.

“He won six of eight and got beaten a lip in the other two. We turned him out and brought him back in.

“He had some trouble with his wind so we gave him a few runs and couldn't pinch a race with him.

“So, we've done a tieback operation on him and his wind seems good now. Hopefully it's not hindering him at all.

“There doesn’t seem to be any issues with his breathing now, so hopefully that remains the case.”

I Am Artie contested the Listed Lough Neagh Stakes in December of last year before fronting up in the Buffering. 

The gelding did not trouble the leaders in the finish of either event, but Jenkins has been pleased with his three runs in this time. 

“His first run was a 1000 metre race, he got back and didn't show a lot of early dash, which I was surprised about,” he said.

‘But, he then found the line really strongly, so I was happy with his run.

“His second run, I thought was really quite outstanding, even though it didn't look that good.

“If you looked at his stats, his sectionals and that, there was a lot to like about it.

“Third run, probably it was very much a rinse and repeat of the second one, but probably not quite as good a run.

“I've taken the blinkers off him and I'm just wondering if he's a lot happier with those off rather than on.

“So, we'll see how he performs on Saturday without them. He's in good shape the horse, he never carries a lot of condition.

“He's a big easy going natural athlete but you don't need to do a lot of work with him, he's a natural athlete.”

Jenkins is likely to turn I Am Artie out for a spell following Saturday’s run before coming back later this year and targeting the Glasshouse Handicap at Caloundra in July.

Looking into 2026, the veteran mentor has high hopes for stablemates Vandevelde and Point Vega. 

“I'm well around the home straight now, I'm not too far off retirement,” he said.

“It'd be nice to have another really nice horse to go out on. Vandevelde, I think has the potential to win a good race.

“Point Vega is also a horse that's obviously got a lot of talent.”