Princess Jenni (NZ) Shows Class in Stocks Stakes

Already a proven Group 1 performer, the $120,000 Karaka Premier Sale purchase Princess Jenni (NZ) (High Chaparral) added some more lustre to her resume at Moonee Valley on Friday night.

The four-year-old scored a classy come-from-behind win in the A$200,000 Group 2 Four’N Twenty Stocks Stakes (1600m). It was the fifth win of her nine-start career, and her third at black-type level. Earlier this year she won the Group 3 Alexandra Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley and the Group 1 Schweppes Oaks (2000m) at Morphettville.

Princess Jenni has now earned A$646,435 in prize-money for owners Tony, Lynn and Mick Ottobre – more than five times her purchase price at Karaka 2017.

Friday’s race was the second start of a new campaign for Princess Jenni, who dropped back to third-last before powering home to win by three-quarters of a length. She was ridden by Damien Oliver for trainer David Brideoake.

Brideoake’s assistant trainer Alex Woodhams was delighted with the performance and said the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on November 2 now loomed as a likely spring target.

"She's taken that next step, which is always hard to do," he said. "You worry when they come into their four-year-old year and get up into open-age races, but she's shown tonight that she's taken that step.

"She's got a big frame there, but she just needs to finish filling out. There's still plenty more to come."

The Stocks Stakes was an outstanding race for New Zealand-breds, with high-class Cambridge mare Rondinella (NZ) (Ocean Park) also finding the line very well to run second, while the $70,000 Premier Sale purchase Oceanex (NZ) (Ocean Park) was third.