By Mark Smith
Punters that took the $1,22 on offer for MORE JOYOUS would have been feeling sick when Hurtle Myrtle headed the star filly inside the final 200 metres of Saturday's Group 2 Surround Stakes at Warwick Farm.

Nash Rawiller summoned the last ounce of courage from MORE JOYOUS (MORE THAN READY (USA) x Sunday Joy by Sunday Silence (USA)) who raised another effort to fight off Hurtle Myrtle (Dane Shadow) by a half-neck with Patinack Farm's So Anyway (General Nediym) a further 2 3/4-lengths away in third.

Far from being disappointed in the performance of the short-priced favourite, Rawiller found plenty of positives.

"I was rapt to see her do that today," Rawiller said.

"She really had a fight on her hands 150 metres out. “We were in a lot of strife when Hurtle Myrtle went passed us at the furlong, but she found when she needed to and champions do that.” It was the fourth consecutive stakes success for MORE JOYOUS who captured the Group 2 Tea Rose Stakes at Rosehill and the Group 1 Flight Stakes at Randwick before being sent for a spell.

The daughter of MORE THAN READY (USA) made a sparkling return in the Light Fingers Stakes (G2) at Randwick on February 13.

It was the fifth win in 8 starts for the 3yo filly whose earnings soar to $641,950.

A homebred for John Singleton's Strawberry Hill Stud, MORE JOYOUS is a half-sister to the $2 million Sadler’s Wells colt Seventh Reason, a winner of two of his 11 starts.

MORE JOYOUS is the second foal of AJC Oaks (G1) heroine Sunday Joy (Sunday Silence) herself a half-sister to Singleton’s triple Group 1 winner Tuesday Joy (Carnegie). Their dam, QTC Oaks (G1) winner Joie Denise (Danehill), is a daughter of Tommy Smith’s champion Denise's Joy (Seventh Hussar), the champion filly of 1975-76, whose 13 wins included the VRC and QTC Oaks as well as the Underwood Stakes and WATC Australian Derby.

Sunday Joy has an unraced 2yo filly by Encosta de Lago named Joy Toy. Encosta de Lago was the third stallion to cover Sunday Joy in 2006. She had previously failed to conceive to Zabeel and Redoute's Choice. She went back to Encosta de lago the following season but missed. Last year she foaled a colt by Redoute's Choice and was bred back to MORE THAN READY (USA). (photo Steve Hart)