Lady Shenandoah and Chris Waller are examples of modern-day delicate compared to Surround after which they are out to enhance their reputations in the race named in her honour at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
Surround was deemed the best three-year-old filly in “Australia’s All-Time Greats” and since 1979 the sprint, the Surround Stakes, now Group one, has been an autumn feature.
Moulded at Caulfield by the demanding, Geoff Murphy, who trained hard and talked tough, Surround, a New Zealand-bred, was the only three-year-old filly to win the Cox Plate, (1976), well matched with Peter Cook, a jockey who gave race riding an artistic touch.
After nine races as a two-year-old, Surround, a grey, went into the Cox Plate at her 14th start followed by successes including the VRC Oaks, the Orr Stakes, the Blamey, the 2025 chapter being run on Saturday, the AJC Oaks, the Queensland Oaks, and the QTC Grand Prix all as a three-year-old.
However Lady Shenandoah will have only her sixth start under Waller’s kid glove treatment, and has the services of James McDonald, now rated the best in the world. Pleasing to eye also but nobody blended better on horseback than Cook. J-Mac comes close. The sit is important but winning more so and J-Mac, with Waller’s assistance, takes that prize.
While you didn’t want to upset Murphy, a weight-for-age good bloke, who could cut loose with expletives, Waller is the epitome of diplomacy, allowing statistics to confirm his greatness. Horse and owner are handled with aplomb.
Like Surround, Waller hails from New Zealand where Murphy’s eye came into play.
“I was visiting Pat Hogan’s Cambridge Stud in 1975,” Murphy recalled in Warwick Hobson’s “Australia’s All-Time Greats”. Pat (later to became Sir Patrick) is a wild Irishman who likes a drink. Pat was settling in for a session and I thought ‘enough of this’ and said ‘let’s go down and have a look at those weanlings in the bottom paddock’. Pat replied that Bart Cummings went through that lot yesterday. ‘There is nothing you would like’.
“I wanted to get Pat away from the bar. There’s a nice grey filly you didn’t tell me about,” Murphy spotted. “She was only a little thing and I must admit the closer I got, the worse she looked. Still there was something about her. I’ll take her.”
Surround grew to 15.3 hands with a deep girth and strong shoulders but her head appeared ungainly at the end of a skinny neck. Yes, she blossomed as a three-year-old. But Lady Shenandoah never looked that common.
Generally, fillies and mares are now deemed better than previously but certainly not as durable. Many figured Analie was a worthy contender to Surround’s title. Under the Tommy Smith bone-and-muscle Analie burst into prominence in the autumn of 1973, scoring from 1200 metres to 2400 metres including the Doncaster, AJC Oaks, Queensland Oaks and Queensland Derby gaining nine wins and four seconds from 14 races as a three-year-old.
Smith and Murphy earned their reputations under different conditions, but figures bring Waller to the fore.
Take, for instance, Saturday’s Verry Elleegant Stakes, previously known as the Chipping Norton. Smith and Waller share the record of 10 triumphs in the weight-for-age sprint, a battle ground for champions. Smith’s best winner was Tulloch but Waller matches him with Winx. Smith notched 10 in 27 years. Waller has nine in 11 years and likely to hit the top with Via Sistina but Fangirl and Lindermann are also considerations in what promises to rate with the best.
Smith won the first Surround with Impede (1979) and his daughter Gai Waterhouse produced the shortest priced winner, More Joyous, $1.22 in 2010.
Lady Shenandoah was a $1.60 on Friday. Brilliant but durable? Could she have survived Smith and Murphy, who serviced only a few owners (10’s) compared to Waller’s hundreds.
Murphy would often operate his Sydney base from the Randwick 1600 metres gap and one morning after track gallops I was present when he pontificated about owners.
“When they give a horse to me I say you can come and see them on Sundays between 10am to 1pm,” he disclosed. “I’ll answer your questions and parade them. I don’t want you ringing me up or turning up at the stable uninvited. If there is anything you should know I’ll ring you.
“How would you like it if I bounced into your office when you are working during the week, sat on your desk and made a pest of myself.”
Another visiting trainer, the remarkable George Hanlon, then gave his ploy with clients.
“When they arrive, I go and hide down the back and tell the strappers to show them the horse,” Hanlon quipped.
6 Responses
i thought alan trevena rode surround in the q/land oaks plus les
Les
Alan Trevena was the regular partner of Surround in her two and three-year-old campaigns but could not make the weight in the Cox Plate, 47.5kg, thus Peter Cook took over. Apart from Cook, Trevena was her only rider until she was a four-year-old and Brian Andrews had two unsuccessful attempts on Surround before she was retired.
Cheers
Max P
Worked for the great man GM in 1971 as a 14 year old – told him and his lovely wife Betty I was 16. He and AT got two years a few months later….
The P Cook photo is after winning on Snippets, I assume. John Augustine, Mike Willesee, Ken Boman partially obscured and is that Presnell in the background ?
Yes Curl,
Only a veteran over 70 but still with a keen eye could identify those in the pic.
Cheers
Max P
Max , love your blog, great stories , very entertaining, brings back great memories..
Fond memories of Peter Cook.
I can remember a day at Randwick maybe back in the late 1970’s when he was riding one for Tommy Smith, Ksar Royal , it had 62kgs thank you very much and from memory carried colours of purple and orange with a black cap.
Anyway, Neville Voigt was riding the favourite ( could have also been for TJ ) it had just 52kgs. Round the corner Peter hugging the rails , over the rise cuddling his horse with Voigt down the outside throwing everything at it. Hands and heels Peter sits as quiet as a mouse , poetry in motion gets the win.
And yes I did back it , funny how you remember those things.
Cheers,
Brenton