Black type Beauty

Talented filly Beauty maintained her unbeaten record and took the step up to black-type company with strong win in the Listed $120,000 Crockett Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on Cox Plate day, Saturday, October 27.

Trainer Tony McEvoy admitted it was a pleasant surprise with Beauty graduating to stakes grade.

“She is a beauty,” the trainer declared.

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 the Crockett Stakes and took her to Moonee Valley for Breakfast with the Best on Tuesday morning where she galloped with Sunlight and it was a gallop that forced McEvoy to reconsider his plans.

“She sent us a message with that gallop and that is why she ran today,” he said.

“She’s got the black type a bit earlier than I expected, and I think she’ll keep getting better.”

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.