McMillan runner storms home

Veteran Ashburton trainer Terry McMillan has had to be patient with Calmbeforethestorm (Majestic Son) and that patience was rewarded yesterday at Motukarara, when the mare stormed home to win her maiden at start number fifteen.

Driver Gerald O’Reilly got Calmbeforethestorm to step cleanly and positioned her three back on the outside with BK Mumma Jamie setting the early pace.

With 1200 metres to run Wot Up Tyron popped out of the trail and took over. With 400 metres to run O’Reilly hooked Calmbeforethestorm out four wide and she let down strongly to beat Wot Up Tyron by two and three quarter lengths.

CALMBEFORTHESTORM REPLAY

“She couldn’t trot much as a two year old, got better at three and qualified. She’s always had a good motor, is a good staying filly and had the speed to go with it. I always knew  she would take a while because she’s been a bit spooky. When she first went to the races she got over-awed by the other horses so she’s taken a while to settle down but I’ve always thought she was pretty good,” McMillan said.

Although she’s five, Calmbeforethestorm is far from the finished product and still wears half hopples.

“We put those on as a last resort to see whether it would work. She has had a gallop in them but also trotted. Hopefully we’ve got her geared up right now.”

McMillan says he’ll carry on racing Calmbeforethestorm and look at a race at Methven for her this weekend.

“We’re not going to stop at the moment because we need to get her off the unruly if we can. I might back her up because she’s ripping round the paddock this morning.”

It was McMillan’s first win since Bulit Train won at Wyndham more than two years ago and his last five winners have been progeny of Begin.

“She was a Sundon and couldn’t trot a yard when she was young. She qualified as a pacer and had one start a pacer.”

Calmbeforethestorm was bred and is raced by McMillan and Patina Gaugler who have been breeding horses together for over three decades.

“She was Noel Berketts daughter and Begin is from a great trotting family. They all come from a mare called Chesapeake who won the Trotting Derby.”

As a broodmare, Begin’s best winner has been millionaire trotter Tornado Valley which won seven for McMillan and another thirty two races in Australia for Andy and Kate Gath. His wins included a Interdominion Final, two Great Southern Stars, two Knight Pistols, two Māori Miles, the Bill Collins and the Grand Prix.

“They did a marvellous job with him. He wasn’t suited to the longer journey races here, but he loved the short races from behind the mobile over there. He was a tough little yearling to break in. He was a colt then and had a few little nasty things about him so we gelded him pretty early. He was one of those superbly gaited trotters from day one.”

So where did the name Calmbeforethestorm come from?

“One day I was thinking about naming her and because she’s a half-sister to Tornado Valley I took the Tornado bit and thought calm before the storm.”

McMillan has been in the harness sport all his life and drove his first horse Break Through who was trained by Arthur Pratt, as a twelve year old.

He worked for trotting master Bill Doyle at Leeston for three years before obtaining his own training license.

“I drove my first winner at Ashburton on the grass. It was a two mile maiden race.”

This was 1971 and there were twenty starters in the race. Terry’s drive was the Doyle trained In Disguise, which won by a nose.

McMillan is still an active breeder. The most successful horses he’s bred are Tornado Valley (Skyvalley) Chain Of Command (Julius Caesar) and Sudden Change (Changeover) all of whom have been from sires who didn’t carry a high service fee.

“I’ve always been keen on going to first season sires which a lot of breeders don’t like to do. Tornado Valley was from the first crop of Skyvalley. He won a million. Chain Of Command ended up winning twenty three races and Barbara (McMillan’s partner Barbara Gye) bred Sudden Change. I won a two year old race with her and she went some cracking races as a three year old and Dean Braun bought her.”

Sudden Change has won fifty seven races and $520,000.

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink