Elite Beau made an eye-catching debut at Ascot on Wednesday, winning in style under the guidance of Grant and Alana Williams.

The $375,000 yearling, a son of Brazen Beau, came into the race with high expectations after an impressive trial victory. Sent out as the $2.90 favourite, he settled sixth before unleashing a strong finish when jockey William Pike asked for an effort.

Elite Beau held off Pgymalion to win by ¾ length, with Solar Chant taking third, 1 ½ lengths behind.

Following the win, Tabtouch quickly shortened Elite Beau’s odds for the $500,000 Group 2 Karrakatta Plate (1200m) on April 26, from $15 to $11.

Grant Williams, typically not involved with two-year-olds, praised the colt’s performance, saying, “What gives us a lot of confidence is obviously he’s a lovely colt, he’s very smart. Like today (Wednesday) it’s his second outing and he’s had one lifetime trial where he led up. I wasn’t that happy that he led up because we didn’t learn anything, but he’s a quick learner. I think he’ll improve a lot on that and hopefully he pulls up all good, going forward he’ll have to pull up good to keep pushing on, but it will be great if we could.”

If all goes well, Elite Beau will target the Perth Stakes on April 12 before aiming for the Karrakatta Plate.

Pike, impressed with the colt’s debut, sees plenty of potential, stating, “I think in the trial it was quite unusual to be in front. He was well educated as far as the barriers go and found himself there. He’s very raw and hasn’t a clue what he’s doing out there but obviously has natural ability to get the job done.”