Six-year-old mare Mitzi Said has rewarded the unwavering faith of her harness racing connections, delivering a career-best performance to win the Vicbred Platinum Mares Sprint Championship Final at Melton on Friday night (Jul 11).

Driven by Monique Burnett and trained by her mother Rita at Kilmore, the win was Mitzi Said’s ninth career victory – but her first since returning from a serious tendon injury that threatened to end her career.

“I didn’t know how to feel. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry or what,” Monique said.

“But I think it was mostly relief. It’s been a long journey with her, and I couldn’t quite believe it had really happened.

“We were confident enough, I suppose, but we were starting to get an ‘always the bridesmaid’ feel from her previous five – four thirds and a second – and I didn’t expect to be able to sit in the breeze from the 800-metre mark!

“Earlier in her career she was really tough, but recently we’ve been driving her to use her speed at the end, and that’s been working well. I reckon she’s just about back to her best now.”

Mitzi Said is owned by Burnett’s uncle, Annetto Mifsud, a retired trainer-driver-breaker and still a helping hand around the family’s Grand Lodge property at Kilmore.

“We want Uncle Annetto to be able to come and see her race – we’ve been trying to find a race that will hold up at Kilmore and this one (tonight July 17) looks suitable,” Monique said.

“He’s struggling a little with his health at the moment, so this has given him a real lift. He still comes out and helps with waters and whatever he can do to give us a ‘chop out’.”

Mitzi Said was bred by visionary and highly successful breeder Helen Head, who imported her dam Mitzi M Hanover from the USA in the early 2000s.

“We prepared Mitzi Said for Helen at the yearling sales, but she didn’t sell, so she found her way back to us,” Monique said.

“We leased her with an option to buy and in November last year we took up that option.”

That decision came despite Mitzi Said suffering a devastating injury after a gallant second at Shepparton in June 2024.

“She did a suspensory ligament – the scans showed a 70 percent hole. It was a shocking injury,” Monique said.

“She’s been a great mare to us – eight wins and multiple placings before her injury. So when a horse is the best you’ve had, you’ll try to do everything you can to look after her and get her back to doing what she can do.

“A lot of the vets wrote her off, but we wanted to give her the best opportunity we could to get back. The whole rehab program would’ve been four months. We started off walking 15 minutes twice a day, then up to 30 minutes, then slow jog work and we just progressed from there. She had a couple of setbacks with viruses along the way, and we’ve made it this far!

“She’s our pride and joy. She’s bossy and headstrong and literally has a lead bit on wherever we go – but I think she knows she’s the favourite!”