Luke Pepper considers Fox Beat an out-and-out stayer and in the opening event at Towac Park on Friday the five-year-old gelding showed just why.
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Fox Beat produced a perfect run to take out the Spanline Benchmark 66 Handicap (2100m).
Jockey Simon Miller wasn't phased when Savvy Valentino ($2.70) and the Kody Nestor-trained Dad's Boy ($3.90) went hammer and tongs early and led the rest of the field by close to seven lengths at one point.
Miller made his move late and Fox Beat ($2.80) mowed down a tiring Dad's Boy with ease before flying past the favourite late on.
"When they really put the hot tempo on it really suited us," Canberra-based Pepper told Sky Throughbred Central after the win.
"He was a little aggressive early in the race but once he got calm and they rolled on it really helped him and, as I've said, he's a genuine stayer and I think the further he goes the better he's going to get."
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The win made it back-to-back wins for Fox Beat, who only joined Pepper's stable midway through this year.
With races more than 2000m hard to come by, Pepper added the city may now be calling for Fox Beat.
Dad's Boy finished third for Dubbo trainer Nestor, who wasn't at the track as he was preparing for Saturday's Highway event at Kembla Grange.
Nestor had the early favourite for the $75,000 Highway Handicap (1600m) in Sneak Preview and Nestor made the trip to the Illawarra early so to avoid the heat out west late in the week.
Sneak Preview heads into Saturday's event having won over 1400m at Orange last start.
The Highway race will also feature Quick Spin from the Narromine stables of Justin Stanley.
Quick Spin has placed in his past three starts for Stanley.
The Highway events jumps at 1.50pm on what is a bumper day of racing at Kembla Grange.
The meeting is headlined by the $1 million The Gong.