Surprise Baby begins road to Melbourne Cup
On Nov. 3 a very important contest will gain worldwide attention. The Melbourne Cup will be run at Flemington Racecourse in Australia.
The prep races are underway on the Australian racing calendar, notably Saturday’s Group 2 Feehan Stakes at Moonee Valley Racecourse. Surprise Baby, fifth by less than a length in the 2019 Melbourne Cup, will have his 2020 debut in the one-mile race.
This is a familiar schedule for Surprise Baby, a 6-year-old New Zealand-bred gelding. In 2019, Surprise Baby was fourth in the Feehan Stakes and followed with a win in the Group 3 Bart Cummings Stakes at Flemington in early October.
In the Melbourne Cup, Surprise Baby closed from 20th in a field of 24 to finish behind Vow and Declare. As of Wednesday, Surprise Baby was a slight favorite in future-book betting for the Melbourne Cup at 9-1.
Craig Williams rode Vow and Declare in the Melbourne Cup and has the mount on Surprise Baby for trainer Paul Preusker in the $181,750 Feehan. This will be the first time Williams has ridden Surprise Baby, who has won 5 of 11 starts.
Surprise Baby won a handicap at a mile at Moonee Valley in March 2019, but the race on Saturday is designed as a prep. Conditions may better suit Harbour Views, who has won 6 of 10 starts. Trained by Matthew Williams, Harbour Views has won at distances ranging from seven furlongs to about 1 1/4 miles.
Harbour Views was fourth as the even-money favorite in a handicap at 1 1/4 miles at Caulfield on June 27. This is his first start at a mile since a third in his group stakes debut in the Group 3 R.A. Lee Stakes at Morphettville Racecourse in May.
Moonee Valley has a nine-race program that begins at 10:30 p.m. Eastern, or 7:30 p.m. Pacific, on Friday. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.
Earlier on the program, Bella Vella will have her first start since a win the Group 1 Sangster Stakes at Morphettville on May 2 in the Group 2 Mittys McEwen Stakes. The Sangster was run at six furlongs, while the McEwen is run at five furlongs.
A 6-year-old mare, Bella Vella has won her last three starts for trainer Will Clarken.
Craig Williams rides the likely favorite in Hanseatic, a Southern Hemisphere 3-year-old who will start against older horses for the first time. Hanseatic has won 3 of 5 starts, with all the wins in stakes. Hanseatic was 10th of 16 in the Group 1 Golden Slipper at six furlongs at Rosehill Gardens in his last start on March 21.
There is a strong card at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney on Saturday.
Nature Spirit will be an odds-on favorite to win the Group 3 Concorde Stakes at five furlongs. Hungry Heart and Dame Giselle, who were fifth and seventh in the Golden Slipper, lead the Group 2 Furious Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at six furlongs.
Angel of Truth, a close second in a seven-furlong handicap at Randwick on Aug. 15, and Avilius, unraced since a third in the Group 1 Tancred Stakes at Rosehill Gardens in March, are part of a competitive field of 16 in the Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes at a mile.
Dreamforce, who won the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes in March but only 13th and 15th in his last two starts in Group 1 races, makes a much-needed drop in class in the Group 2 Tramway Stakes at seven furlongs.
The 4-year-old fillies Collette and Vanna Girl have each won their last four starts, and meet for the first time in the Tramway. Both are returning to action after recent layoffs.