Australasian Oaks winner Princess Jenni has shown her class with victory in the Group Two Stocks Stakes at The Valley.
Having her second start as a four-year-old after a successful three-year-old season, $3.90 favourite Princess Jenni hit the line strongly in Friday night’s 1600m race for mares’ to score by three-quarters of a length.
New Zealand mare Rondinella ($8) also finished well for second after being held up rounding the home turn while Oceanex ($5.50) came from back in the pack for third.
The David Brideoake-trained Princess Jenni is unbeaten at The Valley having also won the Group Three Alexandra Stakes (1600m) in March on her way to the Australasian Oaks (2000m) at Morphettville in May.
“She’s taken that next step which is always hard to do,” Brideoake’s assistant trainer Alex Woodhams 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.”
The Group One Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on November 2 for fillies and mares is the likely spring target for Princess Jenni, although connections have kept her in the entries for the $5 million Cox Plate at The Valley.
Woodhams believes Princess Jenni still has more furnishing to do and said the plan had always been to give her a relatively light spring preparation before turning attention to next year.
“She’s got a big frame there but she just needs to finish filling out,” he said.
“There’s still plenty more to come.”
Jockey Damien Oliver agrees, saying Princess Jenni will be even better again in the autumn.
“I think if we just keep her to the mares’ races in the spring we’ll get the benefit out of that in the autumn,” Oliver said.
