As a young Victorian-based stud, Burnewang North regards spring racing in Melbourne as just about the top of the mountain. We feel we’re on the right track if our product performs well amidst the white-hot, blueblood competition at Flemington on a Saturday.

So you can imagine the enormous thrill provided by our homebred Miracle To Me – raced by a big team of fellow owners and wearing the Burnewang North silks – when she won the Domain 1100 there on Saturday.

Ticking over quietly since her Sandown win on July 28, Miracle To Me went into the race under-rated. But it’s a wonderful thing that horses can’t read the form guide or hear the comments from the pundits on TV – they only know one thing: how to run.

And our ‘Miracle’ has speed and determination in spades. Tucked away behind the whole field until produced on the outside at the 200m, ‘Miracle’ pinned her ears back and let down with a closing sectional fast enough to take her from last to first over a field of undoubted stakes-class 3YO fillies, even though the race didn’t carry that status.

From just six starts, ‘Miracle’ has won three times and placed three for $152,175, a credit to her trainer John McArdle who bought her from the Burnewang North draft at Magic Millions June for $42,000. Because she is such a relaxed, genuine competitor, John is planning to stretch her distance from this point forward (she has already won a testing Sandown 1200m on the slow) and, like all owners and trainers with an above-average 3YO filly, we are wishing and hoping she might get to the Thousand Guineas.

A compact, muscular filly, ‘Miracle’ is by the stalwart Eliza Park stallion Bel Esprit. His siring quality is way beyond question but ‘Miracle’ is an example that, sometimes, a very small investment can reap significant rewards.

Her dam Miracletto (Fuji Kiseki-Belle Bellotto, by Bellotto)- also trained in her day by John McArdle – is the least expensive breeding proposition Burnewang North has purchased. Along with our advisor Steve Brem, we found her lurking at a Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale and took her home for just $5,500. Steve had a great deal to do with her ‘Belle’ family in both New Zealand and Australia (Dance Hero and Grand Armee were ‘Belle’ family horses during Steve’s time with Gai Waterhouse) and, as they say, blood will out. ‘Miracle’ is Miracletto’s second foal; she is followed by a Written Tycoon 2YO filly, an Artie Schiller yearling colt and this year visits Nicconi.

We can’t leave mention of Saturday’s Flemington success without tipping our hat to another Burnewang North graduate, 3YO colt Resistant (Choisir-Swinging Babe, by Encosta de Lago). He gave us almost as big a thrill when finishing fourth in the following race, the Listed Henry Bucks Stakes, 1400m. Our hearts were bursting out of our chests when, after no luck whatsoever in running, Resistant forged to the front halfway up the straight. He never flinched but the wide course he had chartered took its toll in the final part, albeit he was just half a length from second placing.

As a breeder, you hope to breed a resilient animal. This was Resistant’s sixth start this preparation. He has been out of the first four only once in his career to date and put $263,760 in the bank. It’s great to see the people who have confidence in our product being well rewarded.