Milk It Mick
Milk It Mick | |
---|---|
Sire | Millkom |
Grandsire | Cyrano de Bergerac |
Dam | Lunar Music |
Damsire | Komaite |
Sex | Frank E. Kilroe Mile Handicap (2006) |
Awards | |
Top-rated British two-year-old colt (2003) |
Milk It Mick (foaled 25 March 2001) is a British-bred
After failing to reproduce his form in the next two seasons and was sent to race in the United States. In 2006 he recorded his first win in almost two and a half years when he won the
He returned to Europe and stood as a breeding stallion in the United Kingdom.
Background
Milk It Mick is a bay horse standing 16.1 hands high with a white star and snip and a white sock on his left hind leg.[2] He was bred in England by Yvette Dixon, the wife of his owner Paul J Dixon. He was named after a friend of the Dixon family who was "always milking it" – taking things to the extreme.[3] The colt was sent into training with Jamie Osborne at Upper Lambourn in Berkshire.
Milk It Mick's sire Millkom was a top-class turf performer whose wins included the Grand Prix de Paris in 1994 and the Man o' War Stakes in 1995.[4] As a breeding stallion his record was unremarkable, as he sired few other horses of any consequence.[5] Lunar Music, the dam of Milk It Mick, was a sprinter who showed considerable durability, but little talent as she won three insignificant races (worth a grand total of £8.103) from thirty-four starts.[6] Her granddam Be My Sweet was a half-sister to Gunner B and a close relative of the dual Cambridgeshire Handicap winner Sterope. As a descendant of the British broodmare York Gala (foaled in 1939) she was a more distant relative of Theatrical and Prince Royal.[7]
Racing career
2003: two-year-old season
Spring
On his racecourse debut Milk It Mick started a
Summer
On 1 June Milk It Mick was moved up in distance and started odds-on favourite for a minor race over six furlongs at
On 9 July Milk It Mick contested the
Autumn
On 12 September Milk It Mick started a 20/1 outsider for the Group Two Champagne Stakes at Doncaster Racecourse. He was restrained by Quinn before making some progress approaching the final quarter mile but never looked likely to win and finished fifth behind Lucky Story who won from Auditorium and Haafhd. The 51-year-old Pat Eddery took over the ride when the colt ran in the Group Three Somerville Tattersall Stakes over seven furlongs at Newmarket on 2 October and started at odds of 12/1. The only one of his seven opponents to start at longer odds was Bachelor Duke, who went on to win the Irish 2,000 Guineas. After being hampered at the start he was settled towards the rear of the field before making rapid progress approaching the final furlong. He took the lead in the final strides and won by a neck from the favourite Bayeux with Bachelor Duke another neck away in third.[11]
Despite his win in the Somerville Tattersall Stakes Milk It Mick was given little chance and started at 33/1 when he stepped up to Group One class for the Dewhurst Stakes (his twelfth run of the season) over the same course and distance sixteen days later. He was partnered by Darryll Holland who took the ride after Lucky Story was withdrawn from the race. The Middle Park Stakes winner Three Valleys started favourite ahead of Snow Ridge (Royal Lodge Stakes), Duke of Venice and Haafhd whilst the other runners included Balmont, Antonius Pius (Railway Stakes), Cape Fear and Bachelor Duke. Milk It Mick was held up by Holland towards the rear of the twelve-runner field as the Aidan O'Brien-trained outsider Troubadour set the pace from Duke of Venice. He began to make rapid progress on the wide outside in the last quarter mile and went past Three Valleys to take the lead inside the final furlong. The favourite rallied but Milk It Mick maintained his advantage and won by a head with Haafhd taking third ahead of Bachelor Duke.[12] After the race Holland said "I had my head down and kept pushing. I only got the ride yesterday because Lucky Story came out. But what a ride to get". Osborne commented "He's such a genuine horse. This is the second time we've taken a firm decision on how to ride him. He's out of a five-furlong mare but once we dropped him in and got him to relax he showed he could get home".[13]
2004 & 2005: three and four-year-old seasons
On his three-year-old debut started favourite for a Listed
Milk It Mick remained in training with Osborne as a four-year-old but made no impact in two races, finishing unplaced at Chester in June and at Doncaster in October.
2006: five-year-old season
In 2006 Milk It Mick was sent to race in the United States where he was trained by James M Cassidy. He made a very promising start to his North American career in the
In April Milk It Mick started favourite for the Grade II
2007: six-year-old season
In 2007 Milk It Mick returned to the track after a ten-month absence to attempt to repeat his 2006 success in the Kilroe Mile. Ridden by
Assessment
In the 2003 International Classification for two-year-olds Milk It Mick was given a rating of 118, making him the fourth-best European juvenile of the year behind Bago, Attraction and Grey Swallow. He shared his rating with Lucky Story and Three Valleys making him the joint-highest British-trained colt of his generation.[17]
Stud record
In August 2007 it was announced that Milk It Mick would begin is career as a breeding stallion in 2008 at the Lone Oak Stud at Newmarket.[3] He stood at the Hedgeholme Stud (County Durham) in 2010, the Haras de la Foret in 2011 and 2012 and the Kelanne Stud (Hampshire) in 2013[18] before moving to the Norton Grove Stud in North Yorkshire.[2]
The best of his offspring has been Miracle of Medinah who emulated his sire by winning the Somerville Tattersall Stakes in 2013.[19]
Pedigree
Sire Millkom (GB) 1991 |
Cyrano de Bergerac (IRE) 1983 |
Bold Lad (IRE)
|
Bold Ruler |
---|---|---|---|
Barn Pride | |||
Miss St Cyr | Brigadier Gerard | ||
Miss Paris | |||
Good Game (GB) 1984 |
Mummy's Game | Mummy's Pet | |
Final game | |||
Bright Brook | Deep Diver | ||
Caronbrook | |||
Dam Lunar Music (GB) 1994 |
Komaite (USA) 1983 |
Nureyev | Northern Dancer |
Special | |||
Brown Berry | Mount Marcy | ||
Brown Baby | |||
Lucky Candy (GB) 1982 |
Lucky Wednesday | Roi Soleil | |
Pavlova | |||
Be My Sweet | Gallivanter | ||
Sweet Councillor (Family 3-h)[7] |
References
- ^ a b "Milk It Mick pedigree". Equineline.
- ^ a b "Milk It Mick profile". Norton Grove Stud.
- ^ a b "English Champion Milk It Mick to Lone Oak Stud". The Blood-Horse. 30 August 2007.
- ^ "Millkom – Record By Race Type". Racing Post.
- ^ "Millkom – Stud Record". Racing Post.
- ^ "Lunar Music – Record By Race Type". Racing Post.
- ^ a b "Violante – Family 3-h". Thoroughbred Bloodlines.
- ^ "Coachman Amara Median Auction Maiden Stakes result". Racing Post. 10 May 2003.
- ^ "Family Fun Novice Auction Stakes result". Racing Post. 1 June 2003.
- ^ "Taittinger Champagne Auction Stakes result". Racing Post. 26 June 2003.
- ^ "Somerville Tattersall Stakes result". Racing Post. 2 October 2003.
- ^ "Dewhurst Stakes result". Racing Post. 18 October 2003.
- ^ "Milk It Mick Springs Major Dewhurst Surprise". The Blood-Horse. 18 October 2003.
- ^ "2000 Guineas result". Racing Post. 1 May 2004.
- ^ Jack Shinar (4 March 2006). "Milk It Mick Gets Satisfaction in Kilroe Mile". The Blood-Horse.
- ^ a b "Major International Winner Milk It Mick Retired". The Blood-Horse. 30 May 2007.
- ^ "2004 International Classification" (PDF). tjcis.com.
- ^ "Milk It Mick transferred to Kelanne Stud". Racing Post. 4 October 2012. Archived from the original on 8 January 2017.
- ^ "Milk It Mick – Stud Record". Racing Post.