Adding a third consecutive victory to her record, Tony and Calvin McEvoy’s promising Grunt filly Quick Finish highlighted her chances in the upcoming G1 VRC Oaks (2500m) with a fighting win in the $240,000 G3 MRC Ethereal Stakes (2000m) on Saturday.
Coming off a last start win at the track over 1800m, jockey Jye McNeil jumped Quick Finish away well from the gates and with race fitness on her side, went forward to take up the running from barrier 6.
Maintaining her lead throughout at a comfortable tempo, it was clear that some of the more favourited runners were going to struggle to make up the ground in the run to the line.
Reaching the home bed, McNeil upped the ante as the Quick Finish skipped clear and employed ‘catch me if you can’ tactics.
Holding on in the run to the line to hold off the late challengers, Quick Finish defeated the fast finishing, Chris Wallert trained Your Colour who came from the tail with the John Allen ridden Refuse To Curtsy a further half-length back in third.
Caulfield Race 2 | Quick Finish Quick Finish is too tough in the Ethereal Stakes, finding the front early and never letting it go under @JyeMcNeil ?? @mcevoyracing strike early ?? ?? Ch. 78/68, Foxtel 529, Kayo or via our app REPLAYS: https://t.co/HEhdpozFmy https://t.co/8sUkkvIIKn
— Racing.com (@Racing) October 17, 2026
“She’s a fit, forward filly, trained at Ballarat so credit to the team there,” said co-trained Calvin McEvoy. “She looked incredibly well, we thought we'd utilise, her going forward, she's very fit.”
“Thought a few of these might be a query at the trip, whereas this filly certainly wasn't. So, very exciting for Yulong, they bred this girl. She's continuing to raise the bar, which is fantastic.”
“We think she'll stay. So, obviously another box ticked today, we don't have to do a lot with her, she goes down to Lucy Boyd's in between runs down in Ballarat for a couple of days of dressage which seems to suit her and we couldn't have been happier with how she presented today.”
When asked how she would cope with the gap until the Oaks, McEvoy felt it would pose no issues.
“Absolutely perfect, she won't do much into it, I think we trust her lungs and her ability to stay. As you can see she looks fantastic, so we're very happy to have a live chance going into the Oaks.”
“She's not that easy to be honest and Jye knows her well, if you grab hold of her she can get onto one rein and not do things right so we want to roll with her and go with her and we've learned that over time and it seems to be effective.”
“She quickened well on the bend and she was in front for a very long way, so I'm proud of her, proud of the team and she'll head on towards the Oaks now, which is exciting for Yulong.”
Having ridden the filly in all her starts, Jye McNeil was really pleased to secure a stakes victory on her.
“The team know her very well, as do I, crazy to think we’ve come from a Ballarat Synthetic maiden to where we are today and I tell you what, she didn’t get much peace in the early and middle stages, I stuck to plan A which was to make it a testing 2000 metres. She’s a free rolling horse who enjoys that role up in front and I was stoked with her performance,” said McNeil.
“She obviously stays, as the races have gotten longer she’s really come into her own, each time the team has raised the bar she’s up for the challenge, hopefully we’re on the way to the Oaks.”
Passed in when failing to meet her $30,000 reserve at the Inglis Premier yearling sale, the Yulong bred and raced Quick Finish took her overall record to three wins from her only four starts, with her earnings to $275,125.
The best of two winners out of the unraced Golden Horn mare Gentle Strokes, who has since foaled fillies by Written Tycoon and Alabama Express and is due to foal this season to Growing Empire.
Set to now head towards the G1 VRC Oaks on November 5, Quick Finish will be out to join Pinot and Set Square as the only two fillies to complete the double in in the last 12 years.
One of 12 stakes performers for Yulong’s Grunt, Quick Finish will be out to become the third G1 winner for her sire when she chases victory in the VRC Oaks, looking to join fellow Grunt filly Strictly Business who secured the VRC Oaks last season.
A dual G1 winner over 1600m, O’Reilly stallion Grunt is standing this season for a fee of $16,500 (inc. GST).
