Mornington trainer Michael Mehegan enjoyed a rewarding night at the races on Thursday after his three-year-old The Benchmark saluted in Heat 10 of the Ladbrokes Future Stars Series at Pakenham. <a href="http://www.racing.com/videos/6389114465112" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://www.prism.horse/api/public/image/039468cf27824e818e9f64fc260ec97a.png" alt="" width="495" height="276" /></a> It was a deserved victory for The Benchmark, who had gone close at his two previous career starts and had also pulled up with an issue after his latest outing at Sandown.
Sent out as the $2.90 favourite, The Benchmark settled off the pace under Lachlan Neindorf, and while it got tight in the home straight between him and his main danger Irreverent, The Benchmark found a way to score and then survived a protest post-race.
Mehegan trained and was part of the ownership of The Benchmark&rsquo;s dam Prussian Vixen, who provided him with significant wins in the 2017 and 2018 G3 Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s fantastic,&rdquo; Mehegan said.
&ldquo;Great ride by Lachie; all his starts have been good, he did pull up sore after last start, he laid out pretty badly and pulled up with a sore back, so to get him back today is rewarding.&rdquo; <a href="http://www.racing.com/videos/6389114465112" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://www.prism.horse/api/public/image/382bbbca989d4bb2a59633e78a0066fe.png" alt="" width="508" height="286" /></a> * Article by Ed Sadler. <a style="color: #00ccff;" href="https://www.racing.com/news/2026/02/13/new-review-future-stars-series-120226" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Racing.com</a>

MJM Racing

Mehegan's rising star books spot in Future Stars Final

Michael Mehegan

Mornington based horseman Michael Mehegan&nbsp;considers himself lucky to still have the best horse to pass through his hands in his care.
Bossy Benita&nbsp;put a scare through the Mehegan stable last year when she dumped her rider at trackwork and went on a path of destruction that could have resulted in her racing career being curtailed.
Luckily for Bossy Benita and Mehegan the mare came through it&nbsp;relatively unscathed&nbsp;and the four-year-old aims to win some&nbsp;&lsquo;Black Type&rsquo; when she lines up in the Group 3&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justhorseracing.com.au/geoffrey-bellmaine-stakes">Geoffrey&nbsp;Bellmaine&nbsp;Stakes (1200m)</a>&nbsp;at Caulfield on Saturday.
It will be the mares&rsquo; first start since finishing near the tail in the Group 2&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justhorseracing.com.au/lets-elope-stakes">Let&rsquo;s&nbsp;Elope Stakes (1400m)</a>&nbsp;at Flemington last September which came after her&nbsp;Mornington escapade one morning.
&ldquo;We had her in really good condition and form before the Let&rsquo;s Elope, but she had a track accident where she lost the rider,&rdquo; Mehegan said.
&ldquo;She went through three or four&nbsp;different parts&nbsp;of running rail and&nbsp;we were lucky she survived. I thought she was going to kill&nbsp;herself,&nbsp;she was that bad, she was in complete flight mode.
&ldquo;We trialled her after that and we pushed on to the&nbsp;Let&rsquo;s&nbsp;Elope, but she just&nbsp;wasn&rsquo;t&nbsp;right.
&ldquo;At that level you need to be excellent and she&nbsp;wasn&rsquo;t. She was cooked by then and in hindsight I should never have run her, but she was airborne before that.
&ldquo;We gave her a good long spell,&nbsp;I think she&nbsp;had six weeks in the&nbsp;paddock&nbsp;and&nbsp;she&rsquo;s&nbsp;had three jump-outs, normally&nbsp;I&nbsp;just give her two.
&ldquo;She trialled against Jigsaw, and finished second to him, but&nbsp;wasn&rsquo;t&nbsp;quite ready after that, so I decided to give her a third which she won quite impressively and did it on her terms which showed us she was back to her best.&rdquo; Mehegan concedes Saturday&rsquo;s assignment will not be&nbsp;easy&nbsp;given the mare is not well suited at the weights with her rating.
But it is a race the trainer has had in mind for considerable time as a former charge &ndash; Prussian Vixen &ndash; provided Mehegan with his first &lsquo;Black Type&rsquo; success.
Prussian Vixen won the race in 2017 and backed it up again the following year.
&ldquo;It would be nice if she could win,&rdquo; Mehegan said.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s&nbsp;been a&nbsp;long-range&nbsp;plan to kick her off in the&nbsp;Bellmaine&nbsp;and try and win it for a third time.
&ldquo;There are horses in the race that are much higher rated than her, but I think&nbsp;she&rsquo;s&nbsp;up to that level.
&ldquo;I think&nbsp;she&rsquo;s&nbsp;better than Prussian Vixen, but she gets a bit hot sometimes.
&ldquo;I think&nbsp;she&rsquo;s&nbsp;good enough to win a 1000-metre race first-up, but certainly 1200 metres is a more suitable distance and&nbsp;probably in&nbsp;the past the 1400 metres has been her sweet spot.&rdquo;
Lachlan Neindorf, who has ridden Bossy Benita in her past two serious pieces of work, is booked to ride the mare on Saturday, replacing Craig Williams.
&ldquo;Initially we were going to give her a run earlier in the month&nbsp;but unfortunately Craig was away,&nbsp;and&nbsp;in the end decided on another jump-out,&rdquo; Mehegan said.
&ldquo;He was away every Saturday, and he was unavailable for the jump-out, so Lachie was available and&nbsp;he&rsquo;s&nbsp;got the ride on Saturday.&rdquo; *Article by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justhorseracing.com.au/news/australian-racing/mornington-trainer-chases-third-geoffrey-bellmaine-stakes-win/880523" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JustHorseRacing</a>

Mornington trainer chases third Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes win

It was a day to remember for everyone involved, with the team scoring our first raceday double on our home track at Mornington.
Surperb Frost started the day off in fine style, scoring a resounding win over 1500m. It was extremely satisfying seeing this 4yo gelding finally deliver on the potential he has been showing and the team are now hoping he can continue to progress through his grades. <img src="https://www.prism.horse/api/public/image/32d8aa9a3bff464198207f71dfa47bb6.jpg" alt="" width="465" height="309" />
Rusty did it the tough way, sitting 3 wide with no cover for most of the race, but he proved too strong for his opposition and looked the winner a long way from home.
To watch his race, <a href="https://www.racing.com/form/2025-12-23/mornington/race/2">click here</a>.
Equally as satisfying was the sight of Russian Benefits returning to the winners circle. This mare has always shown she has the ability but has had a number of issues over the past couple of years that have been hindering her performances. A successful operation to rectify some breathing issues has helped Margot to recapture her mojo which saw her hold on for a gusty win over 1200m. A good, positive ride from Patrick Moloney saw him make use of the inside barrier to settle just behind the speed, allowing Margot to relax and get into a good rhythm. Entering the straight, she put her foot down and stormed clear of the pack and although tiring in her first run in over 5 months, she was able to hold on for the win. &nbsp; <img src="https://www.prism.horse/api/public/image/a9f1570f6f9f49129336d1a283d57713.jpg" alt="" width="468" height="312" />
To watch her race, <a href="https://www.racing.com/form/2025-12-23/mornington/race/7">click here</a>.
It was a great way for the team to close out the year, one that has seen us with our strongest start to a racing season to date. From 18 starts, we have had 6 individual runners, with 4 of those going on to be winners. We have also had 4 placings to bring our Win / Place stats to 22% / 44%.
And with a few more trialling well at Caulfield last week and not far from heading to the races, including our stable star Bossy Benita, we are hoping to put together our best season ever.

Santa comes early with a Raceday Double

The team has always held a high opinion of Elsa, and this was vindicated by her strong win over 1000m on her home track at Mornington today, breaking her maiden at only her 6th career start.
<img src="https://www.prism.horse/api/public/image/eb78645f3da84142beb354271f1c35c4.jpg" alt="" width="372" height="248" />
Although she sat 3 wide with no cover, the in-form Lachlan Neindorf got Elsa into a good rhythm that allowed her to build nicely into the race. Upon turning into the home straight she was able to quickly storm to the lead and although tiring late, she held strong to score a super win.
The team expects she will take good improvement from this run and we are looking forward to seeing her put together a successful prep and deliver on the high expectations we have had of her.
To watch her race, <a href="https://www.racing.com/form/2025-12-05/mornington/race/3">click here</a>

Party Benefits storms to victory

Excitement, with more than just a touch of nerves, is how the team is feeling ahead of Bossy Benita's first go at Black Type level tomorrow. Betty lines up in the Group 2 Kirin Ichiban Let's Elope Stakes over 1400m at Flemington, with Craig Williams again taking the sit in the saddle.
She'll be taking on some very impressive mares who are already proven at Group level, but the team believes she deserves her chance to take them on after stringing together a very handy record in her short career to date.
Born and bred by Michael and Ann Flannery, of <a href="https://www.springmount.com.au/">Springmount Farm</a>, on behalf of breeder, Bryan Cousins, we purchased Bossy Benita for $85k at the 2023 Inglis Premier Sale.
Long time and loyal supporters, George and Deb Benyon, along with a number of first time Owners with the stable, form her ownership group and have been having a great time following Betty's racing career.
We wish them all the best of luck tomorrow and hope the fun can continue.
&nbsp;
Good luck Betty.

Bossy Benita aims for Group 2 glory

The Michael Mehegan trained Bossy Benita (4m&nbsp;So You Think&nbsp;x Bossy Woman, by Fastnet Rock) is working through her grades and took another step forward at Caulfield on Saturday.
Ridden by Craig Williams, she led and controlled the Benchmark 78 event over 1400m forging clear at the finish to score by more than a length.
With four wins and four placings from just 11 starts and prizemoney topping $245,000, Bossy Benita is looking towards even better races. &ldquo;Every start, we say, &lsquo;just keep her happy, keep her comfortable&rsquo;. She&rsquo;s pretty versatile, and we&rsquo;re just rapt with the result,&rdquo; said her trainer.&ldquo;I&rsquo;d love to try her in a Stakes race over 1400m, so we&rsquo;ll just pick our mark and go from there.&rdquo; <img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://www.prism.horse/api/public/image/681eaf7ae1e847c391c63f6d24581420.jpg" alt="" width="444" height="296" />
An $85,000 Inglis Premier purchase for MJM Racing &amp; Bloodstock Pty Ltd from the Springmount draft, Bossy Benita is the first winner for unraced Fastnet Rock mare Bossy Woman, a grand-daughter of Champion South African Filly Tracy&rsquo;s Element, the dam of Australian Horse of the Year Typhoon Tracy.
To watch her race, <a href="https://www.racing.com/form/2025-08-16/caulfield/race/3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a> * Article by Coolmore.com

Bossy Benita Wins Again!

Michael Mehegan's Bossy Benita has added another smart metro win to her resume, dashing clear under Craig Williams at Sandown on Wednesday.
The daughter of So You Think, who has won three races (all at Sandown) from nine career starts, sat handy to the pace and proved far too good as a $3.30 favourite off a freshen-up.
Williams, who has ridden Bossy Benita in all three victories, said the mare came to the races in perfect order and he gave all credit to Mehegan and his team.
WATCH: Bossy Benita's win
<div class="rdc-news-widgets">
<div><iframe src="https://players.brightcove.net/3461375237001/SJ9OrWAjx_default/index.html?videoId=6375428731112&amp;contentType=RaceReplay" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
</div>
Bossy Benita won two races consecutively before tiring in the VOBIS Gold Reef at Flemington and had jumped out sharply since, beating, among others, one-time Blue Diamond favourite My Gladiola.
"Credit to her trainer Michael Mehegan and obviously his staff around him," Williams said.
"He's a really good horseman and he's really educating her and bringing her along nicely.
"He had a couple of options this preparation, he was confident enough to put some headgear on her as well and that's the end result, her winning.
"I jumped her out the other day, I gave him some feedback and he worked with that information where he was comfortable with his horse and he's found the right product and tools to get her first-up today and she's got more in store."
WATCH: Hear from Williams post-race
<div id="embedded-player" class="mf-player-container"><iframe src="https://players.brightcove.net/3461375237001/SJ9OrWAjx_default/index.html?videoId=6375428744112&amp;contentType=PostRaceInterviewJockey" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe> *Article by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.racing.com/">Racing.com</a></div>

Bossy, Willo strike again at Sandown

Bencouver stormed back into form with a commanding win over 1400m on the Pakenham Synthetic track. Jumping straight to the lead, he was never headed and put the opposition away at the top of the straight.
It&rsquo;s been a challenging time for connections, given the ability Bencouver has shown, that has not translated into results. However, he appears a lot more mature and settled this prep, so a win appeared to be not too far away.
Hopefully now that Brad has recaptured his winning form he can continue to put his best step forward for the rest of the prep.
To view his race, <a href="https://www.racing.com/form/2025-07-07/sportsbet-pakenham-synthetic/race/8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>.

Bencouver recaptures winning form

In what looked to be a strong race going in, Bossy Benita broke the hearts of her opponents with a blistering run at her first attempt over 1400m, recording a slick 1.22.75 and breaking the class record by 0.7 of a second and nudging a track record that has stood for over a decade.
Coming off a dominant maiden win, Betty overcame a wide barrier to cross the field early and take a sit outside the leader. Although the early tempo was hot, Betty was strong to the line and was able to hold off late pressure to claim consecutive wins at metro level.
&nbsp;
Michael was delighted with the improvement Betty has shown this prep, underlying the strong opinion the team has always had of her. She continues to step up in class and more than hold her own, and if she continues on this trajectory, she looks to be a minimum Saturday class horse.
&nbsp;
We have some very loyal and long time owners in the ownership group so, not only has it been exciting to be involved in Betty&rsquo;s hot run, it has been extremely pleasing to see them being rewarded for their patience and loyalty.
To view her race, <a href="https://www.racing.com/form/2025-03-19/sportsbet-sandown-hillside/race/6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>.

Bossy Benita goes back-to-back

She had been knocking on the door for some time now so it was great to see Bossy Benita put the field away in the manner that she did at Sandown today over 1300m. Making the most of barrier 1, Betty jumped away quickly to settle in the lead and from there she was never headed. Clearly relishing the step up to 1300m, Betty got stronger and stronger as the race went on, and by the 400m the result was never in doubt. It was an easy steer for jockey Craig Williams, who never moved on her, defeating the field by over 3 lengths.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://www.prism.horse/api/public/image/924ad5b50dec4ebc9036fe69b201698e.jpg" alt="" width="437" height="291" />
The team has always had a high opinion of Bossy Benita, who now boasts a record of 1 win-1 second-2 thirds from only 6 starts, most of which have been at metropolitan level. The daughter of So You Think looks to have a promising future ahead of her and hopefully she can continue to progress and make a successful transition from maiden winner to better grades.
&nbsp;
To view her race, <a href="https://www.racing.com/form/2025-02-26/sportsbet-sandown-hillside/race/3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>.

News Detail

Mehegan's rising star books spot in Future Stars Final

CONTACT US

Get in touch today