A Tragic Loss for Arrowfield

Mark Smith - Wednesday February 14

Arrowfield Stud's talented blueblood Miracle Of Love died of a suspected heart attack during a barrier trial at Scone on Wednesday.

Trained by Paul Messara and Leah Gavranich, the 3-year-old daughter of Dundeel and Miss Finland started three times.

A third on debut in the Listed Woodlands Stud Stakes at Scone last May, Miracle Of Love broke her maiden a fortnight later at Doomben.

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Solidly backed in the Group 1 JJ Atkins Stakes at Eagle Farm on June 10, Miracle Of Love clocked in second behind King Colorado and has not started since.

A distraught John Messara told Racenet it took some time to process the tragic news.

"Paul rang, it was the call I'd been waiting for, and I thought he was going to tell me how well the filly trialled,'' Messara told Racenet.

"But when he told me what happened, I said: 'You are pulling my leg'. I couldn't believe it.

"I feel so sorry for Paul; he has put so much work into this filly. She was an outstanding filly; we thought she had Group 1 potential.

"We couldn't wait to get her back to the races, and then this happened. This game is a great leveller.''

Miracle Of Love is a half-sister to Group 1 MRC One Thousand Guineas heroine Stay With Me (Street Cry), the dam of dual Listed stakes-winner Waltz On By (I Am Invincible).

The 5-time Group 1 winner, Miss Finland, has a 2-year-old colt by Castelvecchio named Castel Nuovo in the stable of Richard Litt. Ottavio Galletta had purchased him for $280,000 from the Arrowfield Stud draft at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

Miss Finland's final foal is a yearling sister to Miracle Of Love.

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