Phil Wells from Shadwell Farm takes up the story:
We purchased Miss Hillary
at the 2013 Inglis Australian Broodmare Sales in foal to Nicconi. Miss Hillary was a lovely quiet mare not overly big and quite refined.
On the 3rd of October 2013 at lunchtime, she went into labour and it was apparent that the foal was presenting back to front and upside down.
Soon after the vet arrived and unfortunately after many attempts the foal couldn't be turned andafter delivering her filly Miss Hillary passed away.
We managed to get colostrum from the mare and give it to the little filly who we named Daisy.
Daisy was put into the stable as we started to frantically find a foster mare and after many calls without success, out of the blue an offer came of a quarter horse mare who had lost her foal earlier in the day.
Seven hours later Honey arrived at our farm and took to little Daisy soon after.
Honey was a great mother but was quite on the smallish side, under 14 hands so as Daisy grew it was increasingly hard for her to suckle, often having to spread her legs wide to get to Honey's udder.
As we sell all of our foals as weanlings at the sales, Daisy was reluctantly
part of our draft at the Inglis Great Southern Sale.She had prepped up okay but unlike our other foals was very, very hairy but with that said she was very, very strong.
She was purchased for only $4000 and re- offered as a yearling at the VOBIS Gold Sale the next year.
Honey raised Daisy to be tough and that was apparent today when she had her race debut as One No Trump for Ciaron Maher, just getting up to win on the line.
