Surprise Baby seeking public votes for All-Star Mile charge

Preusker has nominated two-time Melbourne Cup winner Surprise Baby and stablemate Lunar Fox for the All-Star Mile.

The race is like no other in that the public chooses who lines up for a crack at a $5 million prize fund.

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The ten horses that receive the most public votes earn a spot in the race, with four extra spots reserved for wildcard entry.

Should Surprise Baby make the cut it will be his first race since last year's Melbourne Cup, where he could do no better than 13^th.

The six-year-old was sent for a spell near Balmoral after the Cup run, in preparation for a big autumn.

"He's super. We are really happy, he's a big, strong horse this time," Preusker told racing.com.

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"You wind back the clock and see what he's done and it's been a long time since he's had a break. Every time I've put him to the paddock, you have got to worry about him.

"He runs the fences and doesn't have a holiday. This time, he put the head down in the perfect paddock and he came back looking like a fat old broodmare.

"I've never seen this horse carry condition until now. It's quite surprising, really."

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