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Mahogany Girl continued her remarkable comeback story at Albury on Friday, claiming victory in the Albury Sprint Classic (1175m).

Given a magic ride by Cory Parish, the 7YO Mshawish mare, out of Casinoholic, showcased a terrific turn of foot when putting away a good field in the feature sprint. 

Bred and raced by Scott and Kathy Robertson, Mahogany Girl – who’s already a broodmare – boasts the unlikeliest of stories. 

Starting out her career with Peter Morgan, she debuted at Wagga in January 2022, finishing third before soon suffering a tendon injury. 

Retired to stud, Mahogany Girl foaled a Peltzer colt in 2023, but was soon back in work, with Hawkesbury trainer Darryll Kell charged with overseeing her return to racing.

From there, the talented mare won four times in 12 starts, with her highlight victory arriving in the $150,000 Provincial Midway Championships at Hawkesbury in March 2025. 

Robertson said time and patience were the secret to Mahogany Girl’s successful return to racing.

“She sliced her tendon, and we rehabilitated her, and about eight months in, it was healed, but we put her in foal to Peltzer and weaned the colt off her at about five months,” he said. 

“After that, we put her back in to work, and the fact that she had plenty of time helped. 

“Robbie Jack once told me the best thing to do when they do a tendon is to get them in foal as the extra weight stretches the tendon, and they get all the time they need. 

“If she didn’t have any ability, we would have kept her at stud, but the fact that she did have ability meant we gave her the time and backed ourselves.”

Following a spell, the mare changed stables and is now trained by the red-hot Craig Widdison at Wodonga.

After two starts at Sandown and Bendigo, Mahogany Girl travelled to Albury and scored the fifth win of her 16-start career. 

“It was the first time Craig has been able to find two races in a row for her, and she will only improve off that win,” Robertson said. 

“She is as honest as the day is long, and in Sydney, she had lots of issues with her feet toward the end, and we brought her back here and were able to rehabilitate her again, and Widdo’s done a good job with her.

“He’s a good bloke, and easy to get on with; and that’s why we sent the 2YO (Jarbardar) to him. 

“He’s patient with his horses; they aren’t just a number with him and he cares about them, which is important to us.”
It’s been a wonderful period for Scott and Kathy, with youngster Jarbardar continuing the breeding operation’s success with their consistent producer Matryoshka (x I Am Invincible), a half-sister to Winning Rupert and Tycoon Evie.

Jarbardar’s half-brother Staroshka (x Star Witness), trained by Mark Currie, is a four-time winner from eight starts in Queensland.

His full-brother Straight Charge (x Written By) won the 2024 Silver Slipper and ran sixth in the Golden Slipper for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.

Jarbardar was passed in at the Magic Millions shy of his $250,000 price tag, while his younger half-brother, a yearling colt by Zoustar, sold at the 2026 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale for $1.45 million to China Horse Club/Newgate Bloodstock & Partners.

Jarbardar came out and won impressively on debut at Wagga in a 1000m 2YO Handicap on April 19 before finishing second in town when contesting the 1100m 2YO Handicap at Caulfield on May 9.

“It’s been really good,” Robertson said. 

“You’ve just got to back yourself; nobody wanted that horse at the Magic Millions, and we could have sold him for not a lot of money, but you’ve got to back your judgement and eye and go from there. 

“I knew he was a nice horse when he was five weeks old, running around the paddock like an imbecile.”

Robertson, who’s been more active in the breeding and racing of standardbreds, has enjoyed his recent success in the sport of kings and plans to breed more thoroughbreds moving forward. 

“We currently breed one or two a year, but we’ll produce more in the future,” he said.

“We’ve bred a combination of six to ten standardbreds a year, and now we’re converting more to thoroughbreds.”

In the meantime, Robertson is hoping Mahogany Girl can continue her success on the track before she returns to the breeding barn.

“This could be her last prep, but that depends on where she gets to,” Robertson said. 

“If she turns out to be a city class mare, we’ll keep going, but if not, we’ll pull the pin, and she’ll go back to stud.”

Words: Jeff Hanson/Country Punter
Image: Kylie Shaw/Trackpix Photography