Injury-prone veteran Mic Mac proved they still had plenty of racing left in their old legs after breaking a four year drought with a victory in Saturday’s Civic Stakes 2013 at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse.

Rising eight-year-old Mic Mac broke a four year drough to win the 2013 Civic Stakes. Photo: Steve Hart.

Until the weekend Paul Messara’s Scone-based galloper hadn’t won a race since the Group 2 Memsie Stakes (1400m) back in August of 2009 when prepared in Victoria by Greg Eurell a full 1407 days ago.

While it had been a long time between drinks connections and Messara hadn’t given up on the Statue Of Liberty seven-year-old liking their chances in the $100,000 Listed Civic Stakes (1350m).

“It did get to the point when you wonder should we be giving up on the horse,” Messara said.

“But he was always telling us he wanted to be a racehorse. He has so much class and ability but most importantly he has always had the will to race.”

Overcoming a whole host of horror setbacks including a broken canon bone in last year’s The Galaxy in Sydney, hoof injuries and nearly losing an eye Mic Mac remains only lightly raced with Saturday’s race just their 23^rd start after spending over two and a half years on the sidelines during their career.

“Although he is a rising eight-year-old, he was having only his 23rd start and he doesn’t act like an old horse at all, Messara added.

“He bounces around and carries on at the track like a two-year-old.

“He still has three screws in his fetlock and he will have them for the rest of his life.

“But he’s a top class sprinter and watching him return to winning form today is up there with the best wins I’ve had in my training career.”

Going out a $16 chance in the end-of-season showdown following a fourth to She’s Clean second-up in the Listed June Stakes (1200m), Mic Mac proved juicy value for the punters that got behind them for an upset Civic Stakes result.

“I felt he should have been half those odds,” Messara said.

In the small eight-horse field Mic Mac carried the 59kg top weight with Christian Reith in the saddle.

The big weight however couldn’t stop the evergreen warhorse who lead all the way before charging home in 1:23.48 to put a full length on the $3.90 favourite Under The Sun from the Gai Waterhouse stables.

Just a further long neck away third was then the Chris Waller-trained Said Com ($5) with their stablemate Disciple ($5.50) in fourth.

It was an emotional result for Mic Mac’s crew and one they will be celebrating for some time.

“It was a huge effort,” Messara’s stable foreman Barry Wintle said on Saturday.

“It stirs up the emotions after what he’s been through.

“Christian took the race by the scruff of the neck and that was the key.”

Reith was also thrilled to score a long deserved win with Mic Mac who he said felt like his old self.

“He was the best horse in the race and I knew he would be winning if he turned up today,” Reith said.

“It’s great to see him back – he’s been a good horse for a long time.”

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2013 Civic Stakes Results & Finishing Order

Rosehill Race 5 – 06/07/2013