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Today on July 24th,we commemorate the 50th anniversary of Racehorse Mill Reef’s stunning win in the 1971 King George 6th and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes.The little colt literally scripted an essay.It ranks amongst the best performances ever by a middle distance racehorse and probably the best ever in any edition of this prestigious race.To me by a whisker it ever surpassed the incredible effort of Nijinsky,the previous year.Mill Reef simply looked as though he was crucifying his opponents on across.Neverthless he bestowed the grace of an eagle flying ,with his foot movements like the touches of painter’s brush on a canvas.One of the most competitive fields was treated with a degree of contempt untraversed in racing.Imagine conquering the likes of Ortis,Stintino,Politico with such disdain.He won by a then record margin of 6 lengths.No colt resembled an invincible emperor more than Mill Reef that day who made his rivals appear like wheat crushed in a windmill. Even after passing the winning post he continuously extended his lead ,as though performing a victory parade.To me he traversed sport’s most mythical heights,on this day.
To me this performance bettered any other triumph be it the Epsom Derby,Eclipse or Arc ,even if his postilion was more daunting.To me Mill Reef was not at his best in the Arc,but for which he would have won by margin of 5 lengths and not 3.I rate it the best ever performance by a middle distance horse in Britain ,when pitted against older horses.
There were few better sights in sport than to witness Mill Reef cruising into the lead,whose strides were like a manifestation of the grace of the divine.The colt literally caressed the turf ,as though kissing it.Really in racing has any horse bestowed such poetry .The diminutive horse literally floated on the turf.
The colt achieved an unprecedented feat of winning a Derby,Eclipse,King George and Arc.Probably till this day there has not been a middle -distance colt superior to Mill Reef,Dancing Brave and Sea the Stars included.Remember Mill Reef’s winning margin on an average were twice as much as Dancing Brave or even Sea the Stars. No horse could better champion both soft and firm ground.In heavy going I owuld have backed him to beat Dancing Brave ,Sea the Stars .10 furlong or more on soft ground I ma almost certain he would have run his rival Brigadier Gerard to the ground.Possibly,Mill Reef proved to be the most versatile of all middle-distance horses.On timeform ratings he is rated only behind Sea Bird,Ribot and Brigadier Gerard,amongst the great horses.Amongst British middle distance giants Mill Reef displayed superiority in untouched realms.Mill Reef brushed aside the classiest of rivasl be it Caro,Pistol Packer,Ortis ,Politico or Linden Tree.
Hope all of us today can resurrect the magical strides of this star .
As many of us will know the King George used to be the biggest race of the entire Flat season in many ways – being mid summer it tended to produce even better quality winners than the Arc which, like Champions Day nowadays, perhaps comes that bit too late in the season.
Of Timeform’s all-time 17 best Flat racehorses, nine won the King George from 1956 to 2010: Ribot, Nijinsky, Mill Reef, Brigadier Gerard, Shergar, Dancing Brave, Reference Point, Generous and Harbinger.
But 1m4f was the quintessential trip back then – even the mighty Brigadier was stepped up to the distance for it.
Sadly, the race is in relative decline nowadays and of that top 17 two – Sea The Stars (2009) and Frankel (2012) – have instead gone to York and won the 1m2f International Stakes and it was never considered necessary or desirable to race Frankel at 1m4f.
At least The Derby winner runs in the race today and in last year’s Oaks winner and the Irish Derby runner up he has two formidable rivals proven at the trip.
But he is surely but a shadow of the amazing Mill Reef, precocious enough to win over 5f at Salisbury in May as a 2yo, a staggeringly easy winner of various other juvenile races, notably the Gimcrack and, despite being by Never Bend, who was surely best at 1m-1m1f, a thorough stayer at 1m4f who was as brilliant in the King George as he had been at Epsom and Sandown in The Derby and Eclipse and later went on to be in the Arc.
Thank for sharing and evoking this great memory and many more.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"“The diminutive horse literally floated on the turf.”
I think you will find he did not literally float on the turf – but it was undoubtedly a great performance by a great racehorse.
Would you rate Mill Reef as the best post-war Middle distance race horse from the British Isles?Best ever King George performance?Better than the great Brigadier Gerard?
I think it entirely depends on your personal criteria for greatness – some might value versatility in terms of trip and going, or maybe durability, over rateable form.
Mill Reef was undoubtedly one of the true greats of the turf, but I personally would find it hard to rate him higher than Brigadier Gerard, though the Brigadier was surely at his best at 1m-1m2f.
I would also have Mill Reef just behind Ribot, Sea Bird and above all Frankel, who I regard as definitely the greatest race horse I ever saw and quite probably the greatest racehorse anyone ever saw.
But it’s all opinions and no one is “right” or “wrong.”
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"“Frankel, who I regard as definitely the greatest race horse I ever saw and quite probably the greatest racehorse anyone ever saw.”
Frankel v Eclipse?
Given the circumstances of races in Eclipse’s day, Frankel wouldn’t have lasted a season. Nobody knows how effective Eclipse would have been under current racing conditions.
Just proves the point that you can only beat what’s in front of you and that comparing different generations, outside a decade or two of reliable collateral form, is pointless.
Sorry if receptive but was Mill reef better than Dancing Brave or Sea the Stars?Also best King George performer ever?
@IanDavies How do you compare Dancing Brave and Sea the Stars with Mill Reef?On par or even better?Was 1971 King George win the best ever in the history of the race?
Montjeu absolutely cantering all over a very good field, including Fantastic Light, always seems under-appreciated to me. Jaw dropping.
BUY THE SUN
Montjeu was brilliant that day. I wonder if it has been somewhat forgotten because he was beaten on his final three starts? If he had added a second Arc later in the season, the King George performance might have been remembered more.
Ribot (1956) and Reference Point (1987) both deserve a place in any discussion of King George greats.
I’m not sure any horse would have got past Henry Cecil’s colt in that race; how he kept up that gallop was remarkable.
Correct order of merit?
1.1971-Mill Reef
2.1970-Nijinsky
3.Montjeu-2000
4,Dahlia-1972
5.Generous-1991
6.Ribot-1956
7.Reference Point-1987
8.Shergar-1981
9.Harbinger-2010
10.Galileo-2001What about Generous in 1991 or Dahlia in 1972?Not close to the top?
~~ But it’s all opinions and no one is “right” or “wrong.” ~~
A few people seem not to have noticed the above line.
Plenty of arrogant people in racing who will tell you that you are “wrong” but it’s all about differing views based on differing people’s differing criteria.
All I can give you, harshthakor, is my personal opinion.
No one is obliged to agree.
Best racehorse ever to win the King George?
IMO Brigadier Gerard.
However, 1m4f stretched his stamina and he wasn’t at his best to win it in 1972.
Best performance on the day in the King George?
IMO possibly Ribot in 1956, but Mill Reef would be right there with him.
After that?
I would say Dancing Brave, Harbinger and Shergar, with Generous and Reference Point narrowly behind that trio.
But that’s just my OPINION.
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It's the "Millwall FC" of Point broadcasts: "No One Likes Us - We Don't Care"
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