Surprise Baby (NZ) Earns Melbourne Cup Shot

Karaka graduate Surprise Baby (NZ) (Shocking) booked a spot in next month’s Melbourne Cup (3200m) with a powerful come-from-behind win in Saturday’s A$500,000 Group 3 Bart Cummings (2520m) at Flemington.

The lightly raced five-year-old recorded the fifth win of his 10-start career, storming home out of a midfield position.

With Jordan Childs in the saddle, he powered down the outside and raced past the leaders to score an emphatic victory by a length and a half.

Passed in at both the 2016 Select Sale and Ready to Run Sale, Surprise Baby was later bought for $5,500 on Gavelhouse.com.

The gelding has now earned A$723,735 in prize-money, with the A$7 million Melbourne Cup looming on the horizon.

"It was just a super ride and he's a super horse," trainer Paul Preusker said. "I think he's the real deal.

"He probably wasn't really wound up for this today, but he's a natural staying horse with a will to win."

Surprise Baby had previously won the Group 2 Adelaide Cup (3200m), and he was narrowly beaten when second in the Listed Andrew Ramsden (2800m) at Flemington in May.

A son of the Melbourne Cup winner Shocking (Street Cry), Surprise Baby was bred by Rich Hill Stud, who also produced the 2015 Melbourne Cup winner Prince of Penzance (NZ) (Pentire).