Cleo Cat has raced her way into Stakes grade with the unbeaten mare to take her place in Saturday’s Black Pearl Stakes at Geelong.
Tom Dabernig settled on the $200,000 Listed race as the best option for the four-year-old, who has won her only five starts.
The Warrnambool trainer has taken his time deciding the best option since her gritty win against the girls in benchmark 78 grade at Ballarat on December 7, but said she has earned her crack at better company.
“We’re going to give her her chance to try and get some Black Type,” Dabernig said.
“She looks pretty good to now might, but this might be a different test for her.
“But still being against mares, it’s worth a try.”
Cleo Cat will carry 56kgin the Black Pearl Stakes, the bulk of which will be made up by Jordan Childs, who was aboard at Ballarat and for the previous win, over 1200m in a fillies and mares BM70 at Moonee Valley.
The daughter of American Pharoah won a Ballarat BM58 the start prior at her first run for the campaign, having won in similar grade in February after a Werribee maiden success.
She will jump from barrier six in the field that includes stablemate Romantic Choice, who finished fifth in the Listed Christmas Stakes at her most recent appearance.
Cleo Cat is a $9 chance and Romantic Choice $13 in a market headed by Charlotte Littlefield’s last-start Group 3 runner-up She’s Bulletproof ($3.90), in-form Godolphin mare Inhibitions ($4.40) and the speedy Pharari ($5.50).
