The Tony and Calvin McEvoy stable will roll the dice at a Group1 race against older sprinters when Natural Fling runs at Sandown.
It is rare to find a three-year-old, let alone a filly, taking on race hardened sprinter in a 1000m weight-for-age contest.
But that is where Natural Fling is heading, the Group 1 Moir Stakes on Saturday.
Usually run at Moonee Valley, this year’s race is being run at Sandown as The Valley circuit undergoes a transformation.
Natural Fling is a winner in two of her three starts and came off a break registering a four-length win in the Quezette Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on August 15.
It prompted the Moir discussion with Jamie Melham going on a fitness regime to ride the filly at 50kg on Saturday.
After watching Natural Fling go through her paces at Sandown on Tuesday morning, Tony McEvoy said he was happy to head to the Moir.
“We’ve rated her highly right from the first time we put a saddle on her,” McEvoy said.
“I don’t think we would be going to this race if she hadn’t already got the ‘Black Type’ under the belt, but now that she has, and the market is saying it, it’s not a silly thing to do.
“She’s fast and clearly she has to step up to those big boys, and it will be a big test for her, but I’m excited about it.
“With 50 kilos and to be able to have a Jamie Melham to ride at 50, is very comforting.”
McEvoy has worked with a lot of young fillies in his time at Lindsay Park before starting his own stable.
He believes Natural Fling is a good as any he has encountered, including Sunlight who McEvoy trained to win 11 times from 24 starts, including a Magic Millions 2YO Classic, the Coolmore Stud Stakes and the William Reid Stakes.
“She’s very good, she’s very fast,” McEvoy said.
“We’ve probably still got to find where she is, class wise yet.
“I trained a very good filly called Sunlight, and this filly is matching what she could do.”
While not a fork in the road race, Saturday’s outing is likely to shape in which direction Natural Fling heads.
“It will help determine whether we go back to three-year-old grade or do we go to the (Group 1) Manikato,” McEvoy said.
“The Coolmore is the race that we have got targeted for her and now that we’re stepping up to the older bracket, if she could win a Moir, she would run in the Manikato.”
Natural Fling had a gallop at Sandown on Tuesday with Melham in the saddle and McEvoy said it was worthwhile giving the filly a look at the course they will race over on Saturday.
“She was fresh, she was stimulated by being here and wanted to get going a bit earlier than we wanted in the gallop, but once she got into a nice rhythm from the 600 (metres) she quickened up nicely,” McEvoy said.
“She was very professional for a lightly raced filly, right out wide on the track. It didn’t faze her at all, and Jamie said she felt fantastic.
“I think she is where she needs to be.”
Meanwhile Steven Arnold partnered Generosity in a familiarisation piece of work over the Moir course.
The Chris Waller-trained mare is set to have her first start at the track.
Arnold took Generosity up the 1000m chute to give the mare a look at the track where she will be racing on Saturday.
“She’s fit, she’s had a trip away, she looks in beautiful condition,” Arnold said.
“She did a bit of evens, quickened up the last 400 metres and she pulled up really clean in the wind and she’s ready to go for the 1000 metres.
“It’s a hot race, but she has good form over 1000 metres. She beat Giga Kick up in Sydney at the trip, so her form is good and she is worthy of taking her place.”
