Twirling Beauty survived an early speed duel with 6-5 favorite Central Casting before being ed briefly in the stretch and then re-rallying for a three-quarter-length victory in Saturday’s featured $75,000 optional claimer at Monmouth Park.

Trained by Raymond Handal and ridden by Romero Maragh, Twirling Beauty stayed just off the flanks of Central Casting through an opening quarter that went in :21.76, with the half reached in :44.93.

“Once I didn’t establish a clear lead, I didn’t want to go head to head and just kind of sat off (Central Casting) and get my filly properly underneath me into a nice rhythm,” said Maragh.

Twirling Beauty overcame a tiring Central Casting coming out of the final turn before being ed briefly by Beyond Belief. Twirling Beauty, sent off at 9-1 in the field of seven 3-year-old fillies, then had enough left to both surge again and hold off Beyond Belief.

“She had just put her ears up and she was just playing around,” said Maragh. “She was kind of waiting on the other horses, so as soon as the other horses came up to me, I brought her out to meet the other horse, so she re-engaged the bridle and fought on.

“Even when I got the lead back again between the sixteenth pole and the wire, she put her ears up and started looking again.”

The time for the six furlongs over a track listed as fast was 1:10-flat.

Naked Eye rallied for third but was 4¼ lengths behind Beyond Belief.

Central Casting was a tiring fourth.

A Kentucky-bred daughter of Twirling Candy, Twirling Beauty recorded her second victory in three career starts. She was unlucky in her last start on April 27 at Aqueduct, getting off slow and then being forced to steady at the start before tiring to be sixth.

It was Handal’s second starter at the meet.