Mifsud family legacy rolls on with Boort Trotting Cup

The Mifsud name has been part of Victorian harness racing for generations.

It dates back to 1955, when Leli and Mary Mifsud migrated from Malta and settled at Kilmore. The couple raised eight children, and along with them came a deep and enduring passion for harness racing.

Most of the family has remained in the district, and the sport continues to run strong through the generations.

On Sunday at Boort, that legacy added another proud chapter when Mary-Jane Mifsud, of Bagshot near Bendigo, trained The Dark Thunder (Skyvalley NZ) to victory in the 2026 Boort Trotting Cup (March 1).

For the mother of two, it was one of the biggest wins of her career.

“It was fantastic because my parents Aussie and Julie were both there. Mum can’t always make it to the meetings so that was really special,” Mary-Jane said.

Julie is head trainer in the couple’s operation while husband Aussie handles the race driving duties. In a twist that made the Boort result even sweeter, Mary-Jane managed to lower her dad’s colours in the feature.

“Mum and dad owned a horse in the trotting cup and dad was driving him, so I guess I’ve now got bragging rights,” Mary-Jane laughed.

The Dark Thunder’s victory was anything but straightforward.

“I wasn’t all that confident and after getting on the wrong leg at the start and galloping away, I thought he’d blown it,” Mifsud said.

“Then he galloped in the run, but when Sean (O’Sullivan) got him away from the inside he appeared to be a lot happier. He really did a great job because he was a long way behind them at one stage.

“Sean does his form and takes everything in. They’ve now won their last two starts and I might look at running in the Wangaratta Trotters Cup at Shepparton next Sunday night.

“They’d copped a lot of rain at Boort, and it was a credit to the club that the track held up and all the races were run.”

For Mary-Jane, following her parents into harness racing was almost inevitable.

“I would have been about six or seven when I started in the pony trots and it’s just continued on from there,” Mifsud said.

“I got my junior driver’s licence and competed in races for eight years before deciding to wind that down and concentrate on the training side of it.

“At the moment I’ve got four horses in work – apart from The Dark Thunder, there’s a 2yo trotter and two yearlings.

“I race The Dark Thunder with our two children in Charlie, 10, and Lilly-Rose, 4. If people at Boort heard a lot of yelling during the cup, it would have been Charlie. He loves the horses and gets really involved.”

Mary-Jane now has 91 career wins to her name and has enjoyed success with a number of handy performers, including Lelis Boy (14 wins), Jaz Equity (11), Awesome Jasper (7), Imnopumpkin and Majestic Ga Ga (6 apiece) and Mister Bellisimo (5).

Meanwhile, Terang horseman Matthew Horsnell, who does a terrific job with his small team, recorded another milestone with accomplished pacer Dhaulagiri (American Ideal) in the Boort Pacing Cup.

The gelding was well handled by Lochie Cook and the win was his 21st from 138 starts for $221K.

Horsnell and Dhaulagiri took out the St Arnaud Cup last November and now the pair could be soon border-hopping to tackle the Kapunda Cup next Sunday (March 8).

From Terry Gange for Harnesslink