Stakes Success for Surge Ahead
This Gooree Stud bred blue-blood won’t be heading off to a stud career like his famous relations Smart Missile and Northern Meteor as he’s been gelded, but Surge Ahead (3g Danehill Dancer x Comical Smile, Comic Strip) by does have a bright future as a stayer after scoring a tenacious win in the Listed VRC Connoisseur Stakes at Flemington on Oaks Day.
The Anthony Cummings trained Surge Ahead had won two of his three previous runs in Sydney and relished the step up to 1800 metres, defying all challengers in the run to the line to score a brave three-quarter length win for Damien Oliver.
“In track-work, you can’t get him going he’s so lazy, but the blinkers pumped him up today and he was very tough to the line,” said Oliver.
With three wins from four starts and prizemoney topping $143,000, the Danehill Dancer (IRE) gelding looks a bright prospect for the autumn and will no doubt target feature races of a mile and upwards.
A three-quarter brother to Group II winner Smart Missile and half-brother to stakes-winner Kiss a Rose, Surge Ahead is the 152nd stakes-winner for veteran shuttle sire Danehill Dancer, who shuttled to Australia for 12 seasons.
He is the fourth winner from four foals to race for Comical Smile (USA), a half-sister by Comic Strip to Group I winner Northern Meteor, Group III winner Queen of the Hill and stakes-winner Rabbuka.
Comical Smile has a yearling full brother to Smart Missile by Fastnet Rock and has a colt foal born this spring by the same sire.