Find out what the jockeys made of their mounts after the Group 1 $750,000 Drinkwise Surround Stakes (1400m) at Royal Randwick.
Adam Hyeronimus (Tropical Squall): “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.
“Very happy the way she worked last Saturday morning and it was probably the best she’s ever worked.
“That gave me great confidence coming to the track today. I wasn’t happy with the conditions today but it just shows how good she is and what she had to overcome.
“I think probably a mile is her sweet spot because she’s got a beautiful high cruising speed and I think that is where she does win her races.
“She’s got great gate speed so you don’t have to push her to be anywhere but then once we go a furlong and she can go a nice gallop, but then when she gets to the 600 and you put the pressure on again, not many horses can do that.
“It is hard for a lot of horses over a mile to pick her up off the back off that and once they come off the bridle. She keeps finding.”
Tropical Squall wins the Surround Stakes
Tommy Berry (Stefi Magnetica): “Gutted to get beaten but she has come a long way in a short time. The winner was obviously a G1 winner and Gai and Adrian’s was too strong for us on the day.”
Tyler Schiller (Tutta La Vita): “She was very surprising. I was rapt with the way she ran first up. She is only going to go further so really great first up run.”
Tom Marquand (Zardozi): “Obviously settled back in the field back down in that trip. Just kept getting pegged out onto a deep sort of line. Just made it hard work.”
Jason Collett (Kimochi): “She began OK but just didn’t pull out her zip early. Ran on OK but off that tempo it was difficult.”
Chad Schofield (Learning To Fly): “She had a good run on pace. They didn’t go quickly at all. Travelled well but just laboured on that ground.”
James McDonald (Tiz Invincible): “She just didn’t relax. Pulled the whole way so never gave herself a chance.”
Zac Lloyd (Kristilli): “Disappointing to get that barrier. I think the horse was in a great frame of mind today. If she drew a barrier to get a soft run I think she would have been right in the finish.”
Tim Clark (Makarena): “She obviously drew awkward and by the time I got around outside the leader it was where the pace was going on again. Just had her chasing a long way from home. She ran honestly.”
Regan Bayliss (Autumn Ballet): “Just hasn’t come up this prep.”
Billy Egan (Roll On High): “Just the pace of the race didn’t suit her. She still ran on quite well.”
Kerrin McEvoy (Arctic Glamour): “Hard race to get into from back in the field. She might enjoy top of the ground as well.”
Check out the replays and results from Verry Elleegant Stakes Day at Royal Randwick