Mill Reef - Thoroughbred

HIGHLIGHTS

• Foaled February 23, 1968 – Died February 2, 1986 (17yo)

• The Incident: August 30, 1972 (at 4yo) – UK

• The Injury: The fracture was complicated. A triangularly shaped piece of bone about two and a half inches long was broken from the lower end of the cannon bone and was considerably displaced. The inner sesamoid bone was completely shattered and the rim of the top of the main pastern bone was damaged

• The Leading Surgeon: Dr. Charles Allen and Dr. Edwin James Roberts

• The Outcome:  Mill Reef recovered from a complicated operation on his broken leg to become a very successful stallion.

ABOUT THE HORSE

Mill Reef was an American-bred, British-trained thoroughbred horse. In a three-year career from 1970 to 1972, he won twelve of fourteen races and finished second in the other two.

The horse was an outstanding two-year-old in 1970 but proved even better at three. In 1971, Mill Reef completely dominated European racing, winning the Epsom Derby, the Eclipse Stakes, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Mill Reef is considered one of the greatest thoroughbreds to run in Europe since WWII.

THE INCIDENT – 30 August 1972 (at 4yo)

At his four-year-old, Mill Reef was found to be suffering from a heavy virus. After his recovery, Mill Reef was trained for an autumn campaign and a return to the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in October. During a routine training gallop, however, the horse misstepped, stumbled and shattered his foreleg. The fracture was severe, and would have resulted in immediate euthanasia for almost any other horse of that era.

Mill Reef's leg fracture was complicated.

The Cannon Bone: A triangular segment of bone roughly 2.5 inches long completely broke away from the lower section of the main cannon bone and was significantly displaced.

The Sesamoid Bone: The inner sesamoid bone—crucial for structural support at the back of the ankle joint—was entirely shattered into tiny fragments.

The Pastern Bone: The top rim of the main pastern bone was crushed and crumbled

Experts concluded that it’s caused by the chain reaction - the inner sesamoid shattered first. Without its support, the fetlock gave way, pointing the hoof outward. The next step forced the entire weight of the 1,000-pound horse directly onto unbraced structures, shattering the cannon bone.

THE SAVING EFFORT – led by Dr. Charles Allen and Dr. Edwin James Roberts

Refusing to give up, the horse owner Paul Mellon and trainer Ian Balding flew in leading American veterinary specialist Dr. Charles Allen, who teamed up with British veterinary surgeon Edwin James Roberts.

Because the horse could not safely travel, a makeshift, pioneering surgical theater was set up in a building directly inside Balding's stable yard. Dr. Roberts kept Mill Reef under exceptionally light general anesthesia for the duration of the surgery. This ensured that when the horse woke up, he would not wildly thrash and break the newly inserted hardware.

For the procedure, over a grueling, high-stakes six-to-seven-hour operation, the team performed what was then a highly radical technique. They utilized a specialized, simplified stainless-steel compression plate secured by three screws to pin the large, displaced triangular bone shard back into place against the main body of the cannon bone.

A Strategic Pivot: Knowing that attempting to fix everything could compromise stability, the surgeons intentionally avoided operating on the completely crumbled inner sesamoid bone and the damaged pastern rim. They focused solely on generating a single rigid column of support through the cannon bone.

The casting was made of a heavy, full plaster cast, it applied to the leg extending all the way from his hoof up to his shoulder.

The operation was a triumph, but the grueling recovery process is what truly cemented Mill Reef's legendary status. His stable lad, John Hallum, played a major role in nursing him for three months. Mill Reef was exceptionally calm to tolerate six weeks of continuous plaster casting. The horse was amiable and intelligent, he did not fight his confinement, panicking or shifting his weight destructively.

Mill Reef was painstakingly and slowly taught how to balance, put pressure on his hardware, and eventually walk again in his cast.

By 1973, Mill Reef had fully healed and officially retired to The National Stud in Newmarket.

THE OUTCOME

Though his racing days were over, his structural survival allowed him to become an incredibly dominant breeding stallion. He sired legendary racehorses including Shirley Heights (1978 Epsom Derby winner) and Reference Point (1987 Epsom Derby winner), twice becoming the Champion Sire of Great Britain and Ireland.

Mill Reef lived a comfortable, high-quality life for another 14 years post-injury, passing away peacefully from natural causes in 1986. He is buried at Kingsclere, where a statue stands in his honor, and his gravestone reads: "He gave us a dream and kept it alive."

Source: Horse Racing Hall of Famer