Sunlight set to fly first-up in Black Caviar Lightning Stakes

Tony McEvoy has warned punters not to judge brilliant three-year-old filly Sunlight on her first-up effort last campaign when she was thrashed by Nature Strip by six lengths.

Sunlight will resume in Saturday’s Black Caviar Lightning Stakes at Flemington and McEvoy said she’s ready to fire.

“I’ve learnt a fair bit from first-up last time,” McEvoy said. “She’s still got improvement to come after Saturday, but she’s ready to go.”

After Sunlight was beaten by six lengths first-up at Morphettville, she then won two races in a row, finished an unlucky seventh in the Manikato Stakes before winning the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington.

“It’s hard to say whether she’s improved, but I can certainly say she hasn’t gone backwards,” the trainer said.

McEvoy was thrilled with Sunlight’s work at Flemington on Tuesday.

“It was exceptionally good,” he said. “She galloped beautifully and she’s nice and forward. Before that she had a good solid trial. She’ll take natural improvement from her first-up run.”

McEvoy said taking on a group 1 weight-for-age race would be a good test for Sunlight but she was ready for it. He pointed out Sunlight was luckless the other time she took on the older horses in the Manikato Stakes.

TAB fixed odds have opened Sunlight as a $4.50 equal favourite for the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes with Graff. She will be ridden by Luke Currie.

McEvoy’s other Group 1-winning three-year-old filly Oohood will also start her campaign on Saturday in the TAB Light Fingers Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick

“I watched her gallop in Sydney on Monday morning,” he said. “She’s in great order and she’s improved physically.”

McEvoy will campaign her in Sydney where she will contest races such as the Surround Stakes, the Coolmore Classic and The Vinery Stakes.