Tropical Squall takes flight to win the Surround
Tropical Squall (Prized Icon) – bought as a weanling for just $16,000 – joined an illustrious list of Gai Waterhouse’s finest fillies in completing the Group 1 double of the Flight Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) and Surround Stakes (1400m) at Randwick yesterday.
Giving the task of going in first-up from a spell after a failed bid to stay in the VRC Oaks (Gr 1, 2500m) on November 9, Tropical Squall led in the Waterhouse-Bott style, and after being allowed to ease the tempo in the middle stages, clung on under desperate riding from Adam Hyeronimus to take the $750,000 feature.
She became the first horse to win the Flight and Surround since the outstanding First Seal (Fastnet Rock) completed the double in 2015, when the Surround was still a Group 2.
And she joined two of Waterhouse’s greatest females in winning the double in the great More Joyous (More Than Ready) in 2009-10, and dual top-level victor Lotteria (Redoute’s Choice) in 2004-05.
Yesterday’s courageous triumph brought Waterhouse her 159th Group 1, and her 25th with Adrian Bott since they teamed up in 2016.
“Tropical Squall’s a classy filly as we saw previously,” Bott said.
“She had come back so much bigger and stronger this preparation so I was confident that she would be in for a good preparation.
“Just the way the track was playing today, we lost a little bit of confidence against horses with race fitness but it was fantastic to see so it is only up from here.
“I thought she might be vulnerable in the conditions and the 1400m first-up.”
From the first crop of her sire, Kooringal Stud’s Prized Icon (More Than Ready), and bought at the 2021 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale for $16,000 by the stallion’s owner Gooree Park, Tropical Squall was something of a forgotten runner yesterday, easing to start $8.50.
She held off the brave Stefi Magnetica (All Too Hard), a $17 chance despite being desperately unlucky fourth in her previous start in the Light Fingers Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m), with Chris Waller’s bolter Tutta La Vita (The Autumn Sun) taking third at $101.
Learning To Fly (Justify) was sent out a $3.60 favourite despite going second-up after a spell of nearly a year, but fought gamely to hold fourth. Gary Portelli’s $6 second-favourite Kimochi (Brave Smash) – the Light Fingers winner who had accrued seven stakes placings in ten starts – produced her first disappointing effort in running seventh after settling near the back, finishing just ahead of Ciaron Maher’s $7 shot Tiz Invincible (I Am Invincible).
But it was all glory to Tropical Squall, who’s now had four wins and two placings in seven starts. After starting with victories at Canterbury and Kensington, the beautifully dark filly ran third behind Tiz Invincible and Kimochi in Randwick’s Tea Rose Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) before taking the Flight.
Sent out a $2.05 favourite for the MRC Ethereal Stakes (Gr 3, 2000m) despite the curse of a wide gate from Caulfield’s 2000-metre start, she ran a brave half-length second to Autumn Angel (The Autumn Sun), before her conclusive tenth in the Oaks.
Now with a second Group 1 in the bag and earnings of more than $1 million, Tropical Squall will most likely seek to boost her value further with a third top-tier success in the Coolmore Classic (Gr 1, 1500m) at Rosehill on March 16.
“She had to do that today to warrant going down the Coolmore path,” he said.
“The Vinery Stakes is an option and she is nominated for the Doncaster. There’s plenty of options.
“I think the 1400 metres is her sweet spot and I think stretching her out to Oaks trip last campaign, we were a little bit rushed.”
Yesterday’s victory pushed Prized Icon (More Than Ready) – the Gooree bred-and-raced VRC Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) and ATC Champagne Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) winner – to eighth on Australia’s second season sires table. The ten-year-old sire has five winners from 37 runners overall.
Tropical Squall is the eighth and last foal and only stakes-victor of maiden-winning Squalls (Fusaichi Pegasus), who died in 2021, five months after a return cover from Prized Icon.
Hyeronimus was delighted after lifting his fourth Group 1 – his third of the season – as he continues a career renaissance propelled mostly by Tulloch Lodge. The 33-year-old’s two others this term have come on Tropical Squall in the Flight Stakes, and on Godolphin’s Tom Kitten (Harry Angel) in the Spring Champion Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m). His career first came only four years ago aboard Waterhouse-Bott’s Shout The Bar (Not A Single Doubt) in the Vinery Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m).
“It has been a huge 12 months – crazy, unbelievable,” Hyeronimus said.
“She’s very good, this horse.
“After winning the Flight Stakes, we tried to go to the Oaks and that can be very difficult for three-year-old fillies, but she came back and she really took some time to find her feet this preparation.
“But her improvement from her first trial to her second trial, and her work from that second trial was very good.”
Learning To Fly’s rider Chad Schofield said she “travelled well but just laboured on that ground”, while Kimochi’s rider Jason Collett reported she “ran on OK but off that tempo it was difficult”.