Tony McEvoy has received a pleasant surprise with Beauty graduating to stakes grade with her victory at Moonee Valley.
The filly’s victory in the Listed Crockett Stakes on Saturday was her third from as many starts.
Ridden by Luke Currie, Beauty ($13) scored a half-length win over Rainbow Girl ($5.50) with Illuminaire ($18) a half-head away third.
McEvoy has always held Beauty in high esteem but was treading carefully with the filly.
After a debut win at Gawler in May, McEvoy turned the filly out for a spell with no grand plans.
“We trialled her at home and she trialled up beautifully so she came across and we ran her in a benchmark 70 race at Bendigo,” McEvoy said.
“Our next goal was a benchmark 64 over 1200 metres here at Moonee Valley next Friday night.
“But she came out of that Bendigo race so well and on the track she had gone to another level.”
As a precaution McEvoy entered Beauty for Saturday’s race and brought the filly to Moonee Valley for Breakfast with the Best on Tuesday morning where she galloped with Sunlight.
It was a gallop that forced McEvoy to reconsider his plans.
“She’s gone and got the black type a bit earlier than I expected and I think she’ll keep getting better,” he said.
McEvoy has listed the Jim Beam Black Stakes at Flemington on Melbourne Cup day or the Twilight Glow Stakes at Sandown on November 17 as potential next targets for Beauty.
