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By Geoff Newling

Sofin, a racing queen of the north coast, has retired. The seven-year-old daughter of Casino Prince has contested her last race and will be retired to the breeding barn, her owner, Byron Fegan, confirmed this week.

Sofin (Brenton Avdulla) returns after winning at Warwick Farm. Image by Bradley Photographers

Runner-up at the past two South Grafton Cups, Sofin is the winner of nine races from 54 starts and almost $300,000 in prizemoney and has been prepared by Shannon Fry at Bowraville since Byron purchased her for $6000 at a 2013 Magic Millions Sale.

“She’s been great fun,” Byron Fegan said. “A beautiful mare with a great temperament. Shannon has done a wonderful job with her.”

While Sofin has been a regular at the Grafton Carnival, she has also raced in many of the feature races on the North Coast and in the Northern Rivers. She might be the only local horse to race in three Listed races and two Group Threes in the last five years or so.

Sofin also won a Port Macquarie Cup Prelude and then the Port Macquarie Cup and may be the only horse to have done that when she beat Caped Crusader by five lengths to win the Port Cup.

They were fabulous days for Byron and Shannon. Another big win was her first metro success at Warwick Farm with Brenton Avdulla aboard, Byron recalled.

“That was a thrill,” Byron said. “She’s been to Sydney often, raced at Rosehill, Canterbury, Wyong and Hawkesbury in some good races like the Premiers Cup and was never beaten far. Her last run was at Wauchope the other day when she ran fifth, she just ground her way to the line. We think she was telling us she’d had enough.”

So the next phase of her career is about to start as Byron looked through a list of attractive stallions and now settled on sprint champion Rubick: “Not bad for a bush mare,” Byron said.