Receiving Victoria’s Broodmare of the Year award for Citrium was a bitter-sweet moment for Greg Willis on Sunday night.

The Chatswood Stud owner accepted the prize at the Crown Entertainment Complex just a few weeks after Citrium died at his Seymour nursery.

The 18 year-old broodmare foaled 2013 Victorian Derby winner Polanski and was due to deliver a Reward For Effort foal in October.

Citrium (Citidancer – Triumvirate by Pompeii Court) won at Moonee Valley and Sandown when trained by Lee Freedman for a syndicate that included Greg Willis, Peter Alpar, Reuben Benkel and David Kobritz.

She foaled winners by Genuine (2), Invincible Spirit and Canny Lad prior to her Victoria Derby winner who is by former Chatswood sire Rakti.

Citrium’s final foals are a 2yo filly by Amadeus Wolf and a yearling filly by Purrealist.

CITRIUM & 2013 PURREALIST FILLY