Jewels shines in win number nine

 Stable star Atlantic Jewel extended her unbeaten run to nine on Saturday with victory in the Group Two Stocks Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley.

The mare was expected to be too good for her all female opposition after her impressive Memsie Stakes return, and this proved to be the case with trainer Mark Kavanagh describing her two and a half length win as "a little course proper gallop".

Ridden by regular race partner Michael Rodd Atlantic Jewel travelled easily behind leader Oasis Bloom before unleashing a winning sectional from the 600 to 400 metre mark of 10.88 seconds.

"Where she beats them is at the 600 when everyone is starting to move into it and are under pressure, she hasn't changed gears yet," Rodd said in his post-race interview. "She has a real high cruising speed and she puts them away very quickly".

Rodd explained however that while the mare was well equipped with a range of 'gears' he had to be mindful of a few things.

"She is a bugger for shying at things and you have the car (camera) following you on the inside and all the sponsor stuff there. I'd hate for her to shy badly and do some sort of damage so I'm always both hands on the steering wheel and keep her going forward without darting off the track".

Trainer Mark Kavanagh elected to race Atlantic Jewel against her own sex rather than in the Dato Tan Chin Nam stakes run over the same conditions in open company, preferring to look after the mare in what was her second run in 72 weeks.

She will however face stronger opposition this week when she backs up in the Underwood Stakes at Caulfield in a field that contains Melbourne Cup winner Green Moon and ruling Melbourne Cup favourite Puissance De Lune.