Godolphin’s Group 1 winner Alizee heads the line-up of sixteen fillies in the nominations for the Group 1 $500,000 Surround Stakes (1400m) at Randwick on Saturday.
Alizee, above, heads the line up of nominations for the 2018 Surround Stakes at Randwick. Photo by Steve Hart.
Alizee will be chasing her second Randwick Group 1 after beating the Spring fillies in the 2017 Group 1 $500,000 Flight Stakes (1600m) in September.
The Sepoy filly resumed for the Autumn with a gutsy but narrow win in the Group 2 $200,000 Light Fingers Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on February 17 but trainer James Cummings said there is a lot of improvement to come from Alizee as she works deeper into the Autumn Carnival.
“To produce like that first up with plenty of improvement to come…she has a big preparation ahead,” Cummings said.
“She’s a darling filly for us and a Group 1 winning filly for us in the spring.”
“She’s not the easiest horse to manage, she’s taken a lot of energy.
“She returned a winner of a prestigious race at Group 2 level and we can be very satisfied.”
Cummings has also nominated last start Hawkesbury Maiden winner Attracted for the Group 1 race for the fillies.
Victorian filly Shoals is also among the nominations for the Surround Stakes and is also a Spring Carnival Group 1 winning filly.
Shoals was one of the stars of the 2017 Melbourne Spring Carnival and after running second to Aloisia in the Group 1 $500,000 Schweppes Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield, the Anthony Freedman trained three year old filly was able to beat the older mares in the Group 1 $500,000 Myer Classic (1600m) at Flemington.
The Lindsay Park trained Rimraam’s best Spring Carnival effort was a third against the fillies in the Group 2 $300,000 G.H.Mumm Wakeful Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on the first day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival and has returned for the Autumn in great order with a first up win in the Group 3 $150,000 The Vanity (1400m) at Flemington on February 17.
Rimraam and Bring Me Roses are set to clash again in the Surround Stakes after running the quinella in The Vanity.
The Tony McEvoy trained Bring Me Roses excelled as the distances got longer in the Spring and two starts after winning over 1600m in the Group 2 $200,000 Edward Manifold Stakes at Flemington returned to the famous course to run second to Pinot in the Group 1 $1m Kennedy Oaks (2500m).
Golden Slipper runner up Frolic has been nominated for the Surround Stakes and will be fitter for one run back when fourth to Alizee in the Light Fingers Stakes.
The final field for the 2018 Surround Stakes will be released on Wednesday morning, February 28.
Early betting for the 2018 Surround Stakes at [ladbrokes]: $2 Alizee, $6 Shumookh, $7.50 Frolic, $9.50 Melody Belle, $11 Shoals, $13 Unforgotten, $15 Torvill, $17 Bring Me Roses, Rimraam, $26 Moss Trip, Pandemonium, $61 All Too Soon, $101 Attracted, Stella Victoria, Touch Of Mink, Yulong Xingsheng.
Nominations for the 2018 Surround Stakes (1400m)
| # | Last 10 | Horse | Sex | Age | Trainer | Hcp Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5x124113x1 | ALIZEE | F | 3 | James Cummings | 105 |
| 2 | 438x331x1 | ALL TOO SOON | F | 3 | David Payne | 71 |
| 3 | 431 | ATTRACTED | F | 3 | James Cummings | 63 |
| 4 | 432102×2 | BRING ME ROSES | F | 3 | Tony McEvoy | – |
| 5 | 221127×4 | FROLIC | F | 3 | Edward O’Rourke | 100 |
| 6 | 1x110x3615 | MELODY BELLE (NZ) | F | 3 | Stephen Autridge & Jamie Richards | 101 |
| 7 | 1x623x131 | MOSS TRIP | F | 3 | Peter & Paul Snowden | 73 |
| 8 | 59x41199x3 | PANDEMONIUM | F | 3 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | 71 |
| 9 | 2x221237x1 | RIMRAAM (NZ) | F | 3 | David & B Hayes & T Dabernig | – |
| 10 | 111x1221x8 | SHOALS | F | 3 | Anthony Freedman | 106 |
| 11 | 122 | SHUMOOKH | F | 3 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | – |
| 12 | 3233×23312 | STELLA VICTORIA | F | 3 | David Payne | 65 |
| 13 | x0212310x3 | TORVILL | F | 3 | Clarry Conners | – |
| 14 | 643x3253x2 | TOUCH OF MINK | F | 3 | Matthew Smith | – |
| 15 | 72x111x | UNFORGOTTEN | F | 3 | Chris Waller | 78 |
| 16 | 1x44241x9 | YULONG XINGSHENG | F | 3 | Kris Lees | 76 |
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