Once again, the past racing season was a sensational period on the track for South Australia’s leading thoroughbred nursery with many stakes winners coming off the farm highlighted by Group One winners Fawkner, Happy Trails and Go Indy Go, with all having returned in fine form this season looking to add future Group One success during the Spring.
With a host of other stakes performers such as Gamblin’ Guru, Angel Of Mercy and Essay Raider, the farm was really pleased with its results.
It was very rare for a week to go buy with a Mill Park Stud graduate not appearing in the results section and to have produced the winners of 80 races during the season was an amazing result for the all the team.
With our three Group One winners during the season adding to the impressive history of the farm, below is just a quick recap of their winning performances.
Getting the ball rolling was Happy Trails in the Group One Turnbull Stakes during the Spring. Bred and raised at the farm, Happy Trails was sold at the Adelaide Magic Millions Yearling Sale to trainer Paul Beshara for only $11,000.
Heading into the Turnbull Stakes off the back of three runs, Happy Trails with Dwayne Dunn in the saddle was simply too classy for his rivals, which included fellow Mill Park Stud graduate Fawkner who finished a very encouraging third.
Contesting the Group One W.S. Cox Plate at his next start, the narrowest margin of a half head separated Happy Trails from the winner Shamus Award (who had a massive weight advantage), but once again he ran enormously well for his connections and we couldn’t be happier for them.
Happy Trail’s dam Madame Flurry is due to foal this season to the Champion Three-year-old colt All Too Hard, having produced a colt by Bernardini last season.
Two weeks after the Turnbull Stakes, Reset gelding Fawkner, a yearling we sold at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale gave Mill Park Stud their second Group One victory in quick succession, winning the Group One Caulfield Cup over 2400m by a length and a quarter.
Next time out Fawkner stepped up again in trip to the 3200m for the first time in the Group One Melbourne Cup. Running a gallant sixth, Fawkner did all at Mill Park Stud very proud, being the first Australian bred horse across the finishing line.
After one run in the Autumn, the strapping grey resumed for his Spring assault. Off the back off an exciting, and narrow second place in the Group One Makybe Diva Stakes first-up, Fawkner headed to the Group One Caulfield Stakes over 2000m. Positioning just behind the leaders, the son of Reset was simply too good on the line, holding off the late charge of Criterion to win the race and cement his position as the Group One W.S. Cox Plate favourite, a race he will contest next time out.
Out of Group Three-winning, Group One placed Danewin mare Dane Belltar, Fawkner isn't the only stakes performer the mare has produced, with her first foal Tanby (Galileo) a winner of the Group Two Sandown Classic, while Red Ransom gelding Viking Star is also Group Two placed. To read more about Dane Belltar, head over to a recent story on the mare by clicking here.
The final Group One winner for the season was the two-year-old Bernardini filly Go Indy Go who had finished second at her first two starts, both at stakes level, before taking out the Group Three Sires’ Produce Stakes at Morphettville by a commanding three-and-a-quarter length margin. Sent to Sydney for the final leg of the Two-year-old Triple Crown, the Group One Champagne Stakes over 1600m, the Chad Schofield ridden filly was too good, defeating the Group Two VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Zululand by a length. Trained by Leon Macdonald and Andrew Gluyas, the Harry Perks bred filly is clearly one to watch as we head into the Spring and she steps up in distance.
Out of the Zabeel mare Elegant Eagle, Go Indy Go is a full-sister to another stakes winner achieved during the season in the Group Three winner Essay Raider. Due to foal to Medaglia d’Oro this season, the mare produced a filly by dual Group One Cox Plate winner So You Think last season..
