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Mill Reef by Kathleen Jones 
Mill Reef was recently ranked 4th on the European Top 100 horses of the
Century list as compiled by Racing Post's Tony Morris and John Randall. The
only three which were adjudged better were Brigadier Gerard, Hyperion, and
Tudor Minstrel. This is indeed extraordinary company.They had this to say about Mill Reef: "MILL REEF and Brigadier Gerard were the greatest pair of contemporaries ever trained in Britain, though the latter triumphed on their only meeting. Mill Reef was the wide-margin winner of the Coventry, Gimcrack, and Dewhurst Stakes as a juvenile and was short-headed by My Swallow in France. He turned the tables on My Swallow in the 1971 Two Thousand Guineas but Brigadier Gerard trounced both of them; Mill Reef was never beaten again." "After decisive wins in the Derby, Eclipse and King George (by six lengths), he crowned his career with a scintillating three-length victory in the Arc de Triomphe in record time."  "In 1972, having won the Prix
Ganay and Coronation Cup, he broke a leg on the gallops but was saved
for a successful stud career. John Oaksley wrote "In just three years
of cheerful service, Mill Reef had given more pleasure and excitement
than most men generate in a lifetime.""His Race Career: Ran 14 times; won 12, twice 2nd. At 2: WON - Salisbury Stakes (5f) (2nd - Fireside Chat, 3rd - Doo Call) WON - Coventry Stakes (6f) (2nd - Cromwell, 3rd - Twelfth Night) 2nd - Prix Robert Papin (5½f) (1st - My Swallow, 3rd - Avant) WON - Gimcrack Stakes (6f) (2nd - Green God, 3rd - Grand Chaudiere) WON - Imperial Stakes (6f) (2nd - Hecla, 3rd - Gertie Millar) WON - Dewhurst Stakes (7f) (2nd - Wenceslas, 3rd - Lombardo) At 3: WON - Greenham Stakes (7f) (2nd - Breeder's Dream, 3rd - Swing Easy) 2nd - 2000 Guineas (8f) (1st - Brigadier Gerard, 3rd - My Swallow) WON - Epsom Derby (12f) (2nd - Linden Tree, 3rd - Irish Ball) WON - Eclipse Stakes (10f) (2nd - Caro, 3rd - Welsh Pageant) WON - K George & Q Eliz Stakes (12f) (2nd - Ortis, 3rd - Acclimatization) WON - Arc de Triomphe (12f) (2nd - Pistol Packer, 3rd - Cambrizzia) At 4: WON - Prix Ganay (10½f) (2nd - Amadou, 3rd - El Toro) WON - Coronation Cup (12f) (2nd - Homeric, 3rd - Wenceslas) Owner-Breeder: Paul Mellon Trainer: Ian Balding Mill Reef died in 1986. His pedigree:
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