Surround Stakes 2024 Field & Odds Update: Favourite Tipped to Fly

The Annabel Neasham-trained Learning To Fly is tipped to return to winning form second-up this weekend heading markets on the Surround Stakes 2024.

2023 Reisling Stakes Winner Learning To Fly

Learning To Fly is tipped to return to winning form second-up in the 2024 Surround Stakes on Saturday. Photo: Steve Hart.

The field for this year’s Group 1 $750,000 Surround Stakes (1400m) is down to a dozen three-year-old fillies after the early withdrawal of the Kris Lees-trained Kind Words (12).

Golden Slipper sob story, Learning To Fly, looks to have come back in terrific order with the talented and untapped daughter of Justify going down a nostril flare fresh in the Group 2 Light Fingers Stakes (1200m).

She is up in distance and grade now facing a similar filed of rivals with the Inglis Millennium and Group 2 winning filly tipped to salute at her pet track (3:2-1-0).

Learning To Fly sits top of the Surround Stakes odds online at Ladbrokes.com.au paying $3.20 and firming to turn the tables on her last start conqueror Kimochi.

The Gary Portelli-trained Light Fingers winner Kimochi now chases the double from barrier seven with Jason Collett aboard on the weekend and is at a $6 quote to do so for the first time since Nakeeta Jane (2019).

The Brave Smash filly is yet to win over further than 1200m but shouldn’t be discounted to do the double with two good Group 1 seconds over the mile last time in behind Tropical Squall here in the Flight Stakes and Joliestar in Caulfield’s Thousand Guineas.

The early Surround Stakes market mover backed in from $11 to $7.50 is Flight Stakes winner Tropical Squall in gate two with Adam Hyeronimus to ride the Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained Prized Icon filly first-up.

The bonny Group 1 winner races for the first time since being found out over 2500m when 10^th in the Group 1 VRC Oaks at Flemington in November, but 1400m first-up in Sydney off two good trials put her in a lovely position to salute at elite level again.

James Cummings’ VRC Oaks winner Zardozi also kicks off her autumn in the Surround Stakes field drawn wider out in gate 10 and is at $21 with improvement expected over further later this prep.

In an open edition of the event other single-figure fancies in Surround Stakes betting include the Ciaron Maher-trained multiple Group 2 winner Tiz Invincible ($7) and the consistent Hawkes Racing-trained Makarena ($8.50) out wide in gate 13.

Makarena is lightly-raced with the $500,000 Tapp-Craig winner from the spring coming off an eye-catching second first-up behind Caballus when taking on the boys here on February 10 in the Group 3 Eskimo Prince Stakes (1200m).

The Surround Stakes 2024 is set to run as Randwick Race 8 at 4:35pm (AEDT) on Saturday’s 10-race Verry Elleegant Stakes Day card with full markets from Ladbrokes.com.au available by clicking here.

2024 Surround Stakes Final Field & Barrier Draw

No	Last 10	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight	H Rating
1	1x13120x	TROPICAL SQUALL	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	Adam Hyeronimus	2	56kg	104
2	11x007121x	ZARDOZI	James Cummings	Tom Marquand	10	56kg	102
3	3x322232x1	KIMOCHI	Gary Portelli	Jason Collett	7	56kg	96
4	111Lx2	LEARNING TO FLY	Annabel Neasham	Chad Schofield	6	56kg	95
5	42x11169x6	TIZ INVINCIBLE	Ciaron Maher	James McDonald	5	56kg	92
6	21x08x43	KRISTILLI	Annabel Neasham	Zac Lloyd (a)	8	56kg	88
7	221x6734x	TUTTA LA VITA	Chris Waller	Tyler Schiller	3	56kg	86
8	211×2	MAKARENA	Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes	Tim Clark	13	56kg	85
9	15x188x8	AUTUMN BALLET	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	Regan Bayliss	4	56kg	83
10	2211x	ROLL ON HIGH	Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman	Billy Egan	11	56kg	80
11	32x1165x7	ARCTIC GLAMOUR	Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou	Kerrin McEvoy	9	56kg	77
12	6x331x1234	STEFI MAGNETICA	Bjorn Baker	Tommy Berry	1	56kg	76
13	24x4012x9	KIND WORDS	Kris Lees	Sam Clipperton	12	56kg	70