Jackson will head to Sydney for a lucrative juvenile race next month after a winning start to his career at Sandown.
Jackson became the second Tony McEvoy-trained two-year-old to land a stakes win in the past two weeks in Melbourne, arriving in time to win Saturday’s Santa’s Magical Kingdom Stakes (1000m) by a half head.
McEvoy produced the filly Concealer to win a Group Three race on debut at Flemington on Melbourne Cup day.
The trainer plans to start Jackson in the $500,000 Inglis Nursery (1000m) at Randwick on December 12.
“I saw some similarities to Concealer today, the way he just lengthened,” McEvoy said.
“He’s got a lot of scope and he had a tremendous big stride, and Sandown helped him.”
McEvoy is convinced Jackson, who was ridden by his nephew Kerrin McEvoy, will be better once he gets over more ground.
“My two-year-olds at home are a bit nippy for him but at the top of my hills at Kildalton Park in Angaston, he’s the one doing the big work. So that’s a good sign,” McEvoy said.
Jackson ($21) ran on down the outside to defeat Soviet Secret ($31) with a short neck to Emphatically ($20) third.
“He’s a big, raw individual so he really enjoyed the uphill finish,” Kerrin McEvoy said.
“It would be easy to say there’s more improvement to come once he learns what it’s all about.”
Favourite Missrock ($2.60) finished second last and will head to the spelling paddock.