No secret about Mimmy's return to form

By Jordan Gerrans

Following three straight victories at Townsville during her three-year-old campaign, Mimmy's Secret appeared to be a star on the rise.

In the year or so since, the Kevin Miller-prepared mare has just not gone on with it, as the trainer described her form as being somewhat ‘head scratching’.

While Mimmy's Secret has not yet reached the heights she may have promised about a year ago, she is in line to grab feature race series honours this Saturday at Nanango.

The daughter of Encryption won the last heat on offer in the popular Burnett to the Beach series on Saturday afternoon at Bundaberg.

It was her first win in her last eight attempts.

With the $20,000 decider for the series set down for this Saturday at Nanango, Mimmy's Secret arrives at the event in winning touch. 

“I thought she ran fairly good and Kayla Johnston rode her well,” Miller said of Saturday's Bundaberg heat win. 

“It was a satisfying win. She didn’t go super, but she went well enough to win – I still think she can go better than that.

“She is not going as good as she could at the moment.”

In the heat on Saturday, which was run as a Benchmark 55 Handicap over 1090 metres, Mimmy's Secret claimed her first race since her three-run winning sequence at Cluden Park, which was concluded in the middle of February.

She did so by almost a length as the race favourite.

The stable had high ambitions for Mimmy's Secret after she put three in a line at Cluden Park through the summer months of December, January and February.

“She hasn’t improved from that,” a blunt Miller said.

“But, she looks fabulous, there is nothing wrong with her. She will have a good spell after this run and bring her back to see how we go from there.

“She is a beautiful mare.”

The Burnett to the Beach series consists of six heats, dating back to Gayndah in October, ahead of Saturday’s $20,000 Final at Nanango.

The series is a popular one for local stables as it offers increased prizemoney races for horses who race through lower Benchmark events.

Miller was full-of-praise for Sunshine Coast apprentice rider Johnston for her performance on Mimmy's Secret on Saturday.

It was Johnston's second recent winner for the team following her victory at the same track aboard Stella Boo last month.

Mimmy’s Secret is yet to win past 1090 metres in her 16 career efforts, but Miller thinks the increased trip at Nanango shouldn’t be a concern.

“I do not think the 1200 metres will be a big problem for her, she has pulled up well from the run on Saturday,” he said.

“This grade of racing, this is probably where she should be racing with the way she is going.

“The road trip to Nanango will not worry her, she has done that at a few times to Townsville before and been fine.

“I am looking forward to getting to Nanango.

“She has come through the run well and has eaten up nicely.”

Mimmy’s Secret was a cheap $8,000 buy at the Capricornia Yearling Sale in Rockhampton and has been great for her owners which includes Miller’s long-term client, Bob Symons.

The Rockhampton-based Miller team has had a busy few weeks, collecting three winners in November before Mimmy’s Secret scored on Saturday. 

The 51-year-old Miller has about a dozen in work in Central Queensland and is mostly focused on his two-year-old crop.

Diamond Money – who won at Thangool last month for Miller - has also been nominated for Nanango’s meeting on Saturday in the Benchmark 50 Handicap over 1000 metres.