Which were the two horses to beat Mill Reef?

Readers of a certain age may already be familiar with the exploits of Mill Reef, but, for the uninitiated, the son of former American Champion Two-Year-Old Never Bend remains the eighth highest-rated Flat horse in the history of Timeform, just ahead of the likes of Shergar, Dancing Brave and Sea The Stars. Bred and owned by Paul Mellon, trained by Ian Balding at Park House Stables in Kingsclere, near Newbury, Berkshire and ridden throughout his career by Geoff Lewis, Mill Reef won twelve of his fourteen races between 1970 and 1972 and finished second in the other two, amassing the modern equivalent of approximately £3.5 million in prize money.

Indeed, the two horses that beat Mill Reef were both truly outstanding performers in their own right. My Swallow, who beat him by a short head in the Prix Robert Papin at Maisons-Laffitte on his third start as a two-year-old in 1970 remained unbeaten in seven races that year and set a new European record for prize money accrued by a juvenile. Having resumed winning ways in the Gimrack Stakes and the Dewhurst Stakes, Mill Reef also won the Greenham Stakes by a comfortable four lengths and so headed to Newmarket for a vintage renewal of the 2,000 Guineas.

Described by Balding as ‘probably the best of them all’, the 1971 2,000 Guineas featured just six runners, but the winners of 27 of their 33 races. Mill Reef was sent off marginal favourite, ahead of My Swallow, but in the closing stages neither had any answer to Brigadier Gerard, trained by Dick Hern and ridden by Joe Mercer, who ran out a convincing three-length winner.