By Bren O'Brien
Having already sourced one Group 1 filly from the New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sale at Karaka, owner Tony Ottobre will be hoping he may have found another quality filly after Jenni Bad Cat's (NZ) (Savabeel) victory at Ballarat on Thursday.
At Karaka in 2017, Ottobre paid NZ$120,000 for a filly by High Chaparral (Ire), who would go on and give him one of his greatest thrills in racing when, as Princess Jenni (NZ), she won the G1 Schweppes Oaks in Adelaide.
Trained by David Brideoake, Princess Jenni has proven a star for the Ottobre family, also winning the G2 Stocks S. last September, part of a 14-start career which has yielded five wins and over $700,000 in prizemoney.
Princess Jenni (NZ)
Many of Ottobre's fillies are named Jenni, in honour of his daughter who passed away in 2015 and another one of the Jennis looks set to do the family proud.
It’s a long way from a Group 1 win, but Jenni Bad Cat took the required step up from her first start at Pakenham, where she finished fourth, to win by 1l in the Craig's Royal Hotel Mdn at Ballarat over 1200 metres.
She was settled well back in the pack by jockey Ben Melham, and while she took some time to warm to her task, she finished strongly to win in a manner which suggests she can measure up in better races.
The Brideoake stable won't rush the 3-year-old at this stage, with stable representative Alex Woodhams saying they felt she would improve with each preparation.
"She has still got a little bit of maturing to do, both physically and mentally. She's slowly learning what it’s all about and it's good to see her settling and finishing so strongly," he said.
"She's got a pretty tough temperament. She got a little bit further back than we would have liked and Ben had to weave a little bit of magic, but once she found clear running, he had plenty of horse under him.
"Time is going to be her best friend, she's a progressive sort of horse and I think there are plenty of nice races in her." - Alex Woodhams
"Time is going to be her best friend, she's a progressive sort of horse and I think there are plenty of nice races in her, maybe a prep away. We won't see the best of her until she gets a bit further."
Woodhams said a decision whether she heads to the paddock or looks to secure another win this preparation will be made once she returns to the stables.
"We bought a nice fit, healthy horse to the races. She is still in good condition and has got plenty of condition on her. She's been in work a little while now, but we will see how she gets through the run."
Jenni Bad Cat (NZ) as a yearling
Jenni Bad Cat was a NZ$260,000 buy at the 2018 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at Karaka.
Bred by Waikato Stud's Chittick family, she is out of Kansas (NZ) (O'Reilly {NZ}), who is the daughter of Group 3 winner Breezy (NZ) (Pins). That's the family of stakes-winning South African pair Dahlia's Legacy (NZ) (Dahar {USA}) and Neo Star (NZ) (Centaine) as well as G2 TJ Smith S, winner Century Kid (NZ) (Centaine).
She was one of two fillies Ottobre purchased at Karaka in 2018. The other one, Evie Girl (NZ) (Ocean Park {NZ}), cost NZ$160,000 and has two placings from eight starts.
