Surround Stakes Tips & Preview 2023

Looking for Surround Stakes tips and best bets? We dissect times and form to find the winner of the 2023 Surround Stakes at Randwick.

SURROUND STAKES BETTING SNAPSHOT

In Secret is the clear favourite with Palmerbet at the $2.15, while Zougotcha has attracted early market support for her first up assignment and is at $5.50. A number of these come out of the Light Fingers Stakes (1200m) that was taken out by In Secret, including the runner-up out of that, Sunshine In Paris, who is at $9.50. 

The Maher/Eustace galloper, Ruthless Dame, is at $13, while Fireburn ($17), Sheeza Belter ($18) and North Star Lass ($19) head the rest of the 13 contenders.   

SURROUND STAKES FORM ANALYSIS

11 of the field of 13 come out of the Light Fingers Stakes (1200m) that was run at Rosehill on February 11. In Secret settled in a midfield position before finding clear air at the 250m mark and overhauling Sunshine In Paris, while Cinderalla Days ran 3rd. 

The daughter of I Am Invincible went just 3.5 lengths faster than standard benchmark. That was due in part to the slow early tempo. She is capable of rising the bar and improved four lengths on figures when second up in the spring to claim the Run To The Rose (1200m) before finishing runner-up behind Jacquinot in the Golden Rose (1400m). 

Her peak figure came fourth up when winning the Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m), going 10.5 lengths faster than standard, which is a better figure than what any horse in this race has produced. 

In Secret produced the fastest last 200m in the Light Fingers Stakes and the step up to the 1400m looks like it should only suit, given she knocked over all bar Jacquinot at her only previous go at the trip. 

Madame Pommery and Revolutionary Miss are the only two that broke 22 seconds for the last 400m in the Light Fingers Stakes, finishing 4th and 5th respectively. Madame Pommery was three-wide the trip, while Revolutionary Miss weaved between runners. Both are capable of raising the bar. 

Madame Pommery was an 11-length improver on figures when second up last time, rising from the 1200m to the 1400m to finish runner-up in the Tea Rose Stakes (1400m) behind Zougotcha. Revolutionary Miss is also capable of improvement but the slight knock on her is that she hasn’t won for more than a year after talking out one of the Blue Diamond Preludes (1100m) in 2022. 

Those that don’t come out of the Light Fingers Stakes feature prominently in the market and they are Zougotcha, Ruthless Dame and Fireburn. 

Zougotcha defeated In Secret when fresh off a two month break last August in the Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m), going 4.5 lengths faster than standard. The daughter of Zoustar comes into this fresh again and produced similar figures in her other two runs last time to claim the Tea Rose Stakes (1400m) and the Flight Stakes (1600m). She comes off a couple of trials and is an obvious danger. 

Fireburn also resumes and won five on the trot as a two-year-old but went winless in the spring. She still raced well but was just wasn’t quite up to the likes of In Secret and Zougotcha. 

Ruthless Dame is the fresh horse on the scene and won her two starts as a two-year-old before resuming with an excellent effort off the long break to run 3rd behind Jacquinot in the Manfred Stakes (1200m) at Sandown. The Maher/Eustace filly settled three deep without cover and was back in the field of 11 on what was a slow tempo. Form out of that has held up with Jacquinot defeating some of the big names in the Orr Stakes (1400m) at his next start. 

Is there a diamond in the rough? Sheeza Balter had a couple of excuses in the Light Fingers Stakes and was a second up winner last time, while A Lot More Love drew wide in the Light Fingers Stakes before settling back and producing the fastest last 600m and the second fastest last 200m. She draws better this time around. 

SURROUND STAKES TIPS AND BEST BETS

Interesting race and In Secret definitely deserves favouritism but she might not necessarily get it all her own way on Saturday. Big fan of the Godolphin stable but I am just a tad unsure at the short price. Might tackle a couple at the each-way quote and they are Madame Pommery and A Lot More Love. Madame Pommery was a noted improper second up last time and her peak figure of 8.6 lengths faster than standard, isn’t too far the mark set by In Secret. That came in the Thousand Guineas. She wasn’t far off Zougotcha when second up last time. A Lot More Love is worth a spec at the odds and was an improver at her last preparation. She looks to have come back in good order this time around.