As someone who has built one of Australia’s largest breeding and racing operations, John Messara has experienced many satisfying moments on the racetrack.
So, when the Arrowfield Stud boss says a win by Miracle Of Love in Saturday’s $1 million Group 1 JJ Atkins would be up there among the sweetest of his career, it carries a bit of weight.
It also emphasises the love Messara has for his favourite mare, Miss Finland.
Miracle Of Love is out of the former champion filly, a daughter of legendary Arrowfield Stud sire Redoute’s Choice, who was responsible for several of Messara’s favourite racing moments.
“It’s about as satisfying as it gets when you produce the mother, you’ve raced the mother, she’s had foals and you’ve raced one or two of them and they’ve been the goods,” Messara said.
“It’s the building of a little dynasty, the Miss Finland dynasty, and there’s nothing more satisfying than that in this game for me.”
Miracle Of Love is the 10th foal from Miss Finland, who was one of the most dominant Golden Slipper winners in the history of the 1200-metre scamper and stretched her brilliance out to the 2500m of the VRC Oaks.
She also won an Australian Guineas, Thousand Guineas and Storm Queen Stakes, when it was branded the Arrowfield Stud Stakes, at Group 1 level.
Miss Finland’s best-performed product to date is Stay With Me, a daughter of Street Cry who like her mother carried the Arrowfield colours to victory in a Thousand Guineas.
She is one of eight to race for Miss Finland, seven of whom are winners including Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes placegetter Bucharest (Deep Impact), Stakes-placed Woodbine (Hussonet) and Earth Angel (Animal Kingdom), five-time winner Nordicus (Dundeel) and Aivan (More Than Ready), a four-time winner in Japan.
Messara’s faith in the family is understandable and despite being impressed with Miracle Of Love from the moment she was foaled in August 2020, he concedes her ascension to Group 1 level has been swifter than he dared dream.
The 1600m J J Atkins will be just the third start for Miracle Of Love, who is trained by Messara’s son Paul, following a third placing in the Listed Woodlands Plate (1100m) at Scone on debut and victory in a 1350m Doomben maiden on Wednesday last week.
“Paul kept telling me she was doing things very easily and that he liked her a lot from the very start,” Messara said.
“When he said he thought we should have a go at the Listed race first time out, I thought, ‘this kid’s gone mad, why aren’t we just running this in a maiden to start with?’, but he said ‘I think she might be a bit better than that’.
“This is the last Group 1 for two-year-olds, it’s a mile, which will suit her, and while it’s a shot in the dark, the team’s reasonably confident that she will run well.”
Miracle Of Love has drawn barrier nine in the 17-horse J J Atkins and will be ridden by one of the season’s leading Group 1 jockeys Michael Dee.
Adding to the satisfaction of a Miracle Of Love win would be that she is by Dundeel, the Arrowfield stallion who has elevated his status to another level this season thanks to the likes of Group 1 winners Militarize and Dunkel.
Dundeel is also the sire of what will be Miss Finland’s final foal with Messara opting to pension the rising 20-year-old away from the broodmare band.
The Castelvecchio colt she had the year after Miracle Of Love was born sold for $280,000 at Inglis Easter this year, she foaled another Dundeel filly last spring before failing to go full term with the foal she was carrying after a meeting with Street Boss last year.
“I think that’s a sign she’s had enough and I’m prepared to accept that. I was on the verge of stopping anyway, but that’s made me make sure that I do stop,” Messara said.
“She’s been more than kind to the farm, she’s done enough, so we’re going to retire her and she’ll become a nanny mare.”
