Apprentice Alana Kelly celebrated the biggest win of her career after guiding Zoe's Promise to victory in the G2 Moonee Valley Fillies Classic (1600m) for Colac-based trainer Darryl Cannon.
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Zoe's Promise ($10) attempted to lead throughout under the 23-year-old Ballarat-based hoop, and after being headed by Climbing Star ($4.40), fought back to score by a short neck.
Kelly said after the race she feared she had made her move too early.
"That's terrific, that's what you work for, and to do it for a little team like the Cannons - that's fantastic," Kelly told racing.com after the race.
"I thought I'd made a blue coming out so early looking for that better ground on the corner and I knew that Climbing Star had such a good turn of foot that he actually put half-a-length on me.
"But she's just so competitive that she pinned them (ears) back and fought well."
It's been a meteoric rise for Zoe's Promise. She broke through for her maiden win on October 12 when she became Cannon's first metropolitan winner since September 2009. Less than two weeks later she and her jockey are Group 2 winners.
After leading before the turn Climbing Star overtook her on the inside coming onto the straight. At one stage Climbing Star led by close to a length before Zoe's Promise fought back
"That was the plan to roll off the fence. Alana walked the track and said 2-3 off the fence is probably a good spot to be," Cannon told reporters.
"I saw her get there just before the turn. She's got a good repoire with the horse and she's going to be a jockey with a future."
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