When she was first up for sale in New Zealand she was almost overlooked – trainer Bart Cummings inspected her and was not impressed. However, fellow trainer Geoff Murphy found her strangely appealing and arranged to lease her from breeder Patrick Hogan until the end of her four-year-old season.

Biography

TRAINER: Geoff Murphy

OWNERS: -

RACE RECORD/STAKE MONEY: 28 starts: 17 wins, 4 placings/$347,030

About

The great grey Surround was one of the most brilliant fillies to have raced in Australia. In a short but spectacular career the New Zealand-bred, Geoff Murphy-trained filly won 17 of her 28 starts, 10 of them in succession, at distances from 1200 to 2500 metres.

Surround showed her quality as a two-year-old winning five of her nine starts. As a three-year-old she won the Oaks in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland – the only filly to achieve this treble. She also proved herself at weight-for-age and against the colts with wins in the Caulfield Guineas, Ascot Vale Stakes, Moonee Valley Stakes and QTC Grand Prix Stakes. Altogether she won 12 out of 16 in top company over distances from 1200 to 2500 metres, with 10 of her wins coming in successive races.

It was her three length victory in the 1977 W.S. Cox Plate that put the stamp of greatness on her – no other three-year-old filly has been able to emulate this achievement and it confirmed her as the Australian Horse of the Year.

Back in training as a four-year-old, her racing was brought to a premature end by an injury to her foreleg which necessitated her retirement. In her short but brilliant career she had 17 wins and 4 placings from 28 starts.

Image Source: Bradley Photographers