Jolie Bay nails them

The Hawkes Racing-trained Jolie Bay handled a huge step up in class to register her first stakes victory in Saturday’s Group II Roman Consul Stakes (1200m) at Randwick.

"To go from winning a class one at Hawkesbury as a maiden to winning a Group II at Randwick, it doesn’t get much better,” Jolie Bay's co-trainer Michael Hawkes said.

Jolie Bay ($9.50) sat at the tail of the field before producing a withering burst down the outside to nail Knight Exemplar ($14) by a short neck with 1-1/4 lengths back to Your Song ($3.70) in third.

"She’s real performer, she tries her heart out and she showed that today,” Hawkes said.

Winning jockey Jay Ford said he came into Saturday’s $175,000 race "bullish” despite the three-year-old’s lack of experience.

"She’s a serious filly. I know it was only a class one the other day but the way she won she was entitled to have a shot at a race like this,” he said.

The favourite Ichihara ($1.80) led the field into the straight but weakened to finish fourth.

Story: Nic Ashman RaceNet

Photo: www.sportpix.com.au