Mill Reef was an exceptional middle distance racehorse wining the Derby and the Prix de lArc de Triomphe in an illustrious horse racing career that was ended prematurely by injury after registering a record six successive Group One wins.
Bred and owned by Paul Mellon, in 1970 Mill Reef was sent to Kingsclere in England to be trained by the young trainer Ian Balding. Although he had an American pedigree, being by Never Bend out of the Princequillo mare Milan Mill (and hence bred on the potent Nasrullah- Princequillo nick that also gave us Secretariat and Seattle Slew), Mill Reef was judged to be a little too long in the pastern to race effectively on dirt in America.
Mill Reef soon showed in his work that he was a class above anything else in the stable, and he duly won on his racecourse debut in the Salisbury Stakes, a race the trainer had successfully used before as a stepping stone to victory in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, romping home under jockey Geoff Lewis by an unextended four lengths at an unconsidered price of 8-1.
At Royal Ascot, Mill Reef duly delivered in the Coventry Stakes, making all and stretching clear to an eight length win. He was never put under pressure by his jockey, yet his time was only a fraction outside the track record.
Mill Reef was beaten on his next start in the Prix Robert Papin at Deauville, where a wide draw and a rough journey conspired against him. The Gimcrack Stakes at Yorks Ebor meeting in August was selected as his next target. Heavy overnight rain saw heavy ground on the Knavesmire and trainer and jockey were reluctant to run, but were overruled by Mellon, who had come to see Mill Reef in action for the first time.
In the event, Mill Reef put up one of the most memorable performances of his career, being quickly away before being asked to quicken after half way. In a breathtaking performance, he forged further and further clear of his rivals, passing the post ten lengths to the good, beating the likes of champion sprinter Green God and Classic winner Kings Company.
A narrow victory in the Imperial Stakes at Kempton followed, before a busy juvenile season concluded with a step up to six furlongs in the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket. Different tactics were employed here, with Mill Reef settling behind the leaders before quickening sharply out of the dip to win going away by four lengths.
The crop of 1968 also included the remarkable Brigadier Gerard and My Swallow, and the three met in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket with Mill Reef sent off favourite after a comfortable warm-up win in the Greenham Stakes at Newbury. My Swallow had been equally impressive in his trail at Kempton, and Brigadier Gerard had sparkled on the gallops at West Ilsey.
In the event the brilliant miler Brigadier Gerard made full use of his finishing speed, scorching clear on the rail to beat Mill Reef, who had raced with My Swallow in the centre of the track, by three lengths.
Mill Reef was the only one of the three to hold a Derby entry. Balding adopted Vincent OBriens practice with US-bred horses of giving him a gallop over a mile and a quarter10 days before the race, leaving the question of stamina to be answered in the race itself. In the race, Mill Reef showed he was a middle distance horse par excellence, turning in in fourth place and quickening clear to beat Linden Tree and the subsequent Irish Derby winner Irish Ball.
Balding elected to bypass the Irish Derby in favour of allowing Mill Reef to take on his elders for the first time in the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown and the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.
At Sandown Mill Reef began to show that the class of 68 was superior to its rivals with a dominant victory over the four-year-old French raider Caro. The pair had gone clear from their rivals who set a blistering early pace, but Mill Reef found the most under pressure, quickening clear in the final furlong to win by four lengths in a course record time.
Mill Reef went on to win in the King George later that month with an even more dominant display, scorching up the short Ascot straight to win by six lengths and prompting jockey Geoff Lewis to say: Daylight was second at Ascot.
Mill Reefs connections decided to bypass the St Leger on Town Moor in September in favour of a run in the Prix de lArc de Triomphe at Longchamp in October, a race that had not fallen to an English-trained horse for 23 years. Balding remembers the preparation for this race as his greatest challenge, as Mill Reef had been campaigned hard since the Greenham Stakes in April. In the race, Mill Reef settled in fifth spot under Geoff Lewis. In the straight the leaders were soon beaten, and Mill Reef darted through a gap on the rail, quickening remorselessly clear to win by three lengths, setting yet another new track record in the process.
Mill Reef and Brigadier Gerard were both given equal top rating by both the official handicapper and by Timeform. Unfortunately, the two rivals were destined never to meet again.
Mill Reef made his four-year-old debut in the Prix Ganay, where he utterly spreadeagled his rivals, skipping clear in the straight to a 10 length victory. The Coronation Cup at Epsom came next, and although Mill Reef won he failed to quicken in his usual style and had to dig deep to hold on by a neck from Homeric.
A virus was later identified as the cause of the poor run, and the Coronation Cup was to prove his last race " though his record of six successive Group One wins was to stand until Rock Of Gibraltar won seven in 2001-2002. Two setbacks in training saw a planned return at York abandoned. Brigadier Gerard, who had won the Eclipse in Mill Reefs absence, suffered his only defeat that day, beaten by Roberto.
Disaster struck at the end of August when Mill Reef broke his near foreleg in a routine canter. He was saved by the vets and the dedicated care of Balding and his team, and Mill Reef went on to have successful career at the National Stud. In 1978 his sons scored dual Classic success, with Shirley Heights winning the Derby and Acamas the Prix du Jockey Club. Mill Reef also sired the 1987 Derby winner Reference Point, the 1981 Derby runner-up and Italian Derby winner Glint Of Gold and the 1000 Guineas winner Fairy Footsteps. - 16887
Bred and owned by Paul Mellon, in 1970 Mill Reef was sent to Kingsclere in England to be trained by the young trainer Ian Balding. Although he had an American pedigree, being by Never Bend out of the Princequillo mare Milan Mill (and hence bred on the potent Nasrullah- Princequillo nick that also gave us Secretariat and Seattle Slew), Mill Reef was judged to be a little too long in the pastern to race effectively on dirt in America.
Mill Reef soon showed in his work that he was a class above anything else in the stable, and he duly won on his racecourse debut in the Salisbury Stakes, a race the trainer had successfully used before as a stepping stone to victory in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, romping home under jockey Geoff Lewis by an unextended four lengths at an unconsidered price of 8-1.
At Royal Ascot, Mill Reef duly delivered in the Coventry Stakes, making all and stretching clear to an eight length win. He was never put under pressure by his jockey, yet his time was only a fraction outside the track record.
Mill Reef was beaten on his next start in the Prix Robert Papin at Deauville, where a wide draw and a rough journey conspired against him. The Gimcrack Stakes at Yorks Ebor meeting in August was selected as his next target. Heavy overnight rain saw heavy ground on the Knavesmire and trainer and jockey were reluctant to run, but were overruled by Mellon, who had come to see Mill Reef in action for the first time.
In the event, Mill Reef put up one of the most memorable performances of his career, being quickly away before being asked to quicken after half way. In a breathtaking performance, he forged further and further clear of his rivals, passing the post ten lengths to the good, beating the likes of champion sprinter Green God and Classic winner Kings Company.
A narrow victory in the Imperial Stakes at Kempton followed, before a busy juvenile season concluded with a step up to six furlongs in the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket. Different tactics were employed here, with Mill Reef settling behind the leaders before quickening sharply out of the dip to win going away by four lengths.
The crop of 1968 also included the remarkable Brigadier Gerard and My Swallow, and the three met in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket with Mill Reef sent off favourite after a comfortable warm-up win in the Greenham Stakes at Newbury. My Swallow had been equally impressive in his trail at Kempton, and Brigadier Gerard had sparkled on the gallops at West Ilsey.
In the event the brilliant miler Brigadier Gerard made full use of his finishing speed, scorching clear on the rail to beat Mill Reef, who had raced with My Swallow in the centre of the track, by three lengths.
Mill Reef was the only one of the three to hold a Derby entry. Balding adopted Vincent OBriens practice with US-bred horses of giving him a gallop over a mile and a quarter10 days before the race, leaving the question of stamina to be answered in the race itself. In the race, Mill Reef showed he was a middle distance horse par excellence, turning in in fourth place and quickening clear to beat Linden Tree and the subsequent Irish Derby winner Irish Ball.
Balding elected to bypass the Irish Derby in favour of allowing Mill Reef to take on his elders for the first time in the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown and the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.
At Sandown Mill Reef began to show that the class of 68 was superior to its rivals with a dominant victory over the four-year-old French raider Caro. The pair had gone clear from their rivals who set a blistering early pace, but Mill Reef found the most under pressure, quickening clear in the final furlong to win by four lengths in a course record time.
Mill Reef went on to win in the King George later that month with an even more dominant display, scorching up the short Ascot straight to win by six lengths and prompting jockey Geoff Lewis to say: Daylight was second at Ascot.
Mill Reefs connections decided to bypass the St Leger on Town Moor in September in favour of a run in the Prix de lArc de Triomphe at Longchamp in October, a race that had not fallen to an English-trained horse for 23 years. Balding remembers the preparation for this race as his greatest challenge, as Mill Reef had been campaigned hard since the Greenham Stakes in April. In the race, Mill Reef settled in fifth spot under Geoff Lewis. In the straight the leaders were soon beaten, and Mill Reef darted through a gap on the rail, quickening remorselessly clear to win by three lengths, setting yet another new track record in the process.
Mill Reef and Brigadier Gerard were both given equal top rating by both the official handicapper and by Timeform. Unfortunately, the two rivals were destined never to meet again.
Mill Reef made his four-year-old debut in the Prix Ganay, where he utterly spreadeagled his rivals, skipping clear in the straight to a 10 length victory. The Coronation Cup at Epsom came next, and although Mill Reef won he failed to quicken in his usual style and had to dig deep to hold on by a neck from Homeric.
A virus was later identified as the cause of the poor run, and the Coronation Cup was to prove his last race " though his record of six successive Group One wins was to stand until Rock Of Gibraltar won seven in 2001-2002. Two setbacks in training saw a planned return at York abandoned. Brigadier Gerard, who had won the Eclipse in Mill Reefs absence, suffered his only defeat that day, beaten by Roberto.
Disaster struck at the end of August when Mill Reef broke his near foreleg in a routine canter. He was saved by the vets and the dedicated care of Balding and his team, and Mill Reef went on to have successful career at the National Stud. In 1978 his sons scored dual Classic success, with Shirley Heights winning the Derby and Acamas the Prix du Jockey Club. Mill Reef also sired the 1987 Derby winner Reference Point, the 1981 Derby runner-up and Italian Derby winner Glint Of Gold and the 1000 Guineas winner Fairy Footsteps. - 16887
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