The gap to the runner-up was minimal, but Tempted cemented her elite sprinting filly credentials for the generation courtesy of a Group One Surround Stakes triumph full of elegance.
Going to 1400m for just her second attempt, Tempted was travelling comfortably in third gear entering the Randwick straight and began to unwind, yet pacesetter Savvy Hallie dug in hard, requiring the three-year-old to produce her best.
Under pressure from pilot Chad Schofield, the $1.60 top elect’s talent emerged as she lengthened stride close home to beat Savvy Hallie ($10) by a long head, as Ole Dancer ($9) trailed by an additional 1-3/4 lengths in third.
“Chad, he knew what he had underneath him. I was actually thinking, God, you can get a little more desperate’ halfway down the straight,” a relieved trainer Ciaron Maher said.
“The 14 (1400m) is probably right at the top of her distance range, as we’ve seen. She’s run second and now won at Group One level, but you’d think she is more dynamic at six (furlongs,1200m).”
Away from victory lane behind Hong Kong standout Ka Ying Rising when second in The Everest (1200m) in the spring as a three-year-old, Tempted is likely to face elder rivals again in the T J Smith Stakes (1200m).
Still, Maher will confer with Godolphin principals before settling on Tempted’s following target, making clear no overseas venture was on the cards soon.
“I travelled a three-year-old filly in Coolangatta, and I thought it was a bit early for her,” Maher said.
“This horse, we know she does have a bit of a temperament, so I just thought, maybe a little bit later in life.”
Addressing if Tempted belonged with his finest sprinters, Maher affirmed she outshone 2024 Everest conqueror Bella Nipotina similarly aged, pending her sustained excellence.
“She is definitely right up there. She ran second to the best sprinter in the world as a three-year-old. You’d think with furnishing, she is only going to get better,” he said.
The Savvy Hallie camp experienced a rollercoaster end, thrilled by her resolve yet crushed by the photo-finish Group 1 loss.
“Heartbreaking to get beaten,” jockey Nash Rawiller said.
“I loved her tenacity. She made Tempted really work for it. She was great.”
Apocalyptic, sent off second favourite, labored to fourth place five lengths away, according to jockey Tommy Berry who said she never travelled well.
“She didn’t stretch out in the straight so it’s not the Apocalyptic we know,” Berry said.
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