Appearing for the first time since failing to stay in the VRC Oaks last November, the Prized Icon filly Tropical Squall was back to her brilliant best under a pumped-up Adam Hyeronimus in Saturday’s Group 1 Drinkwise Surround Stakes (1400m) at Randwick.
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained filly fought tenaciously to defeat the All Too Hard filly Stefi Magnetica by a short-head.
There may have been a little more incentive for Hyeronimus as Stefi Magnetica carried the colours sported by the unbeaten Justify colt Storm Boy.
It was one and three-quarters back to Tutta La Vita (The Autumn Sun), who nosed out Learning To Fly (Justify) for third.
The Group 1 Flight Stakes winner last spring, Tropical Squall, advances her record to four wins, a second and a third from seven starts with earnings of $1,009,550.
“It has been a huge 12 months - crazy, unbelievable,” Hyeronimus said.
“She’s very good. After winning the Flight Stakes we tried to go to the Oaks, 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 shows how good she is and what she had to overcome.”
Adrian Bott said that the black daughter of Prized Icon had matured during her break.
“She’s a classy filly as we saw previously. She had come back so much bigger and stronger this preparation so I was confident that she would be in for a good preparation,” Bott said.
“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 1400-metres first-up.
“It always holds a special spot to see the Gooree colours and by a stallion of these that they raced. It is a great story all the way through.
“We will probably go through the Coolmore path and assess. She had to do that today to warrant going to the Coolmore. The Vinery 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. I guess the benefit of the time in the paddock and allowing her to strengthen up has made the difference.
“I’d like to think her sweet spot is 1400-1600 metres. She has tactical speed and is able to settle throughout.”
Tropical Squall was a bargain $16,000 purchase for Gooree Stud from the Bhima Thoroughbreds draft at the 2021 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale.
Bred by Kooringal Stud, Tropical Squall is by Kooringal Stud's Prized Icon, who was bred and raced by Gooree Stud. A top-class son of More Than Ready (USA), Prized Icon won the Group I VRC Derby and Group 1 AJC Champagne Stakes.
Tropical Squall is the fifth winner from seven to race for the winning Fusaichi Pegasus mare Squalls.
A half-sister to Group III AJC Breeders Classic winner Steflara out of Group III winner Blue Storm, Squalls died in 2021, and Tropical Squall is her final foal.
