Farewell to the Queen of Tabcorp Park

Make Mine Cullen edges out Smoken Up in her final race.

Champion mare Make Mine Cullen will make her final curtain call for fans this Friday night in a presentation at Tabcorp Park officially marking her retirement from racing. 

The ceremony will give supporters an opportunity to farewell the seven-year-old mare, whose last race brought much speculation as to whether her career would continue on.

Make Mine Cullen will retire at a career peak, having won her last three starts and having amassed an outstanding $874,178 in total prize money across her career. She boasts an enviable record of 40 wins from 80 starts.

The talented mare challenged a formidable field in her final race - the $20,000 Mittys Minuteman Free For All, storming home to victory in 1:57.6 to beat reigning Grand Circuit Champion and Victorian Horse Of The Year Smoken Up.

Trainer Glenn Douglas, who has steered Make Mine Cullen’s career since 2009, holds last Friday’s race win as one of the most significant in the mare’s career.

“She’d never beaten Smoken Up before, so it was a nice way for her to go out; beating such a great competitor.

“The farewell presentation will bring a great chance for her to go down to Tabcorp Park one last time and will give people a good chance to say goodbye to her properly.

“We’ll be really quite sad to see her go, as we’ve formed such a connection since she first arrived here. 

“She’ll now get a chance to ‘wind down’ from her career, before beginning the next chapter of her life; being a Mum.”

A presentation and crowning ceremony for the ‘Queen of Tabcorp Park’ will take place following race three at Melton on Friday night.