Anthony Freedman approached the Darby Munro Stakes cautiously regarding Beskar, rejecting the notion that the three-year-old merited “stupid odds”.

The $81 chance, second from the tail in betting, caught layers off-guard by holding a forward position and thwarting Agarwood ($19) plus the surging Caffe Florian ($12).

“To be fair, he should never have been that. He did run third in a Group Three last start, so $80 is probably ridiculous,” Freedman said.

“It’s still a bit of a surprise.

“He’s a horse that’s got good talent. He does a lot wrong and makes a mess of a few races, but it all went (well) for him today.

“He ran third in the Kindergarten Stakes here last year, so maybe this works better for him, in Sydney.”

Third in the Kindergarten Stakes (1100m) at start two for Beskar led to uneven campaigns last winter and spring, but a firm third placing to Pallaton in Caulfield’s Zeditave Stakes (1200m) recently hinted at readiness.

The trainer affirmed Beskar’s gifts were clear, despite persistent trifling injuries, and adapting his regimen took effort.

“He’s sound now, and we train him very differently,” Freedman said.

“We don’t do any work with him. It takes a while to work some horses out.

“He’s one of those horses who is never one hundred per cent. You get him as good as he can be and keep him happy and don’t work him.”

A potential path for the Darby Munro Stakes (1200m) winner from Saturday lies in Randwick’s Group 2 Arrowfield 3YO Sprint (1200m) on April 11, with Freedman yet to decide.

“I hadn’t looked that far. We will think about it,” he said.

Past victors of the Darby Munro Stakes include the capable Autumn Glow from a year earlier.

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