Principessa aims to give Pride a lift before Everest bid

Two days before two much-cherished stablemates attempt to conquer The Everest at Randwick, a four-year-old mare can set the winning mood at Thursday’s feature Kembla meeting.

The battle-hardened and nine-year-old weight-for-age star Eduardo again carries the main hope of the Warwick Farm-based Joe Pride stable in Saturday’s $15 million Everest showdown, although no one is ruling out power-finishing five-year-old Private Eye, who blew out the cobwebs with a terrific first-up group 2 win at Flemington.

But a far cry from those two big boys is a girl who can at least whet the appetite before the world’s richest race on turf.

Principessa, a daughter of group 1-winning French sire Vadamos, tackles a more-than-handy Maiden Plate over 1200m for the older horses in only her second run for the new Sydney yard after transferring across the Tasman.

Placed three times in four runs in New Zealand through autumn was enough to earn Principessa a decent spell before switching to Sydney’s south-west.

She then resumed with a nice finishing debut run for the Pride stable against metropolitan fillies and mares maiden opposition, and looks suitably placed here carrying 1kg less and getting onto a much bigger track.

Unlike Eduardo, who has to get over from a wider barrier in the mega-rich Everest, Principessa is drawn to get a softer run back around midfield, with Jason Collett maintaining the ride.

Principessa could do with a financial boost. Her earnings are just over $13,000 from eight starts; while “Big Ed” is nearing the $7 million mark before his 30th start in The Everest; and Private Eye has amassed more than $2 million from 21 starts.

On a Kembla track that will likely stay in heavy range, another leading metropolitan stable is also hoping to tune up for Saturday’s headline race with a win.