MORNINGTON-based racehorse trainer David Brideoake took out the Group One Australasian Oaks (2000m) in South Australia on Saturday 4 May with his classy filly Princess Jenni.
Despite a pre-race delay, the three-year-old daughter of High Chaparral scored a decisive one length victory to land Brideoake’s third career Group One win.
With champion jockey Damien Oliver on board, Princess Jenni weaved her way through the field to defeat the Archie Alexander-trained Mirette and John Sargent-trained House of Cartier. The victory was the first of two Group One wins for Oliver on the day, and his fourth Australasian Oaks win.
Brideoake’s racing manager, Alex Woodhams, was on site for the triumph.
“It was a bit nerve racking when I was standing up there, but the main thing is that you got the job done,” he said. “I knew if she got a bit of room, she’s a good enough horse and she always puts in. [Oliver] got the split right when he needed it and it worked out well.”
Woodhams said the progressive filly, who has now won four races from her six starts, has shown a fair bit of talent right from her first victory.
“Every run she’s had, even since her maiden win, she’s always been sharp, she’s always had a serious turn of foot but to overcome a bunch of problems throughout the run and still to sprint like that when the gap came was quite impressive,” he said.
Oliver, who also won the Group One Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m) on Spright in the following race, was also full of praise for the filly.
“Her last couple of runs she’s shown that when the chips are down, she really does answer the challenge for you and she didn’t let us down today,” he said.
The Group One win adds to Brideoake’s previous success with talented fillies, having won the 2008 Group One WATC Derby with Grand Journey and the Group One The Galaxy with her three-quarter sister Griante in 2016.
First published in the Mornington News – 7 May 2019
