Rebel King Rules at Belmont Park

Rebel King propelled his sire Universal Ruler into the Top 10 on the Australian first-season premiership with another hollow victory at Belmont Park on Saturday.

The brilliant youngster has won both his starts by four lengths untouched since resuming from a spell and trainer Darren McAuliffe confirmed he will be back at Belmont searching for a hat-trick in a fortnight.

Rebel King (2g Universal Ruler – Rebel Sister by Falbrav) started a $1.16 favourite and was in a race of his own blitzing the Del Basso Smallgoods Hcp (1000m). “They were Black Caviar odds and it was a great win,” McAuliffe said. “He’s progressing nicely and is just about bombproof.

“He’s a relaxed horse and eats up at out new stables in Hopelands. He will have one more run back here and then we will send him out.”

With the addition of Westspeed bonuses, Rebel King has now earned $126,700 for a syndicate managed by Kevin Berry’s Impressive Racing. They also raced his sire to 6 wins in 12 starts topped by the G3 Belmont Sprint.

Universal Ruler (Scenic), along with Red Element and Wicked Style, is the only Top 10 first-season sire not located in the Hunter Valley.

West Australian based Scenic Lodge stands him for a $3,850(inc gst) service fee alongside champion sire Blackfriars and recent arrival Dash For Cash.

Kool Winner Collects Cash

Promising grey gelding Arrikool has punched his ticket out of the provincials after a running double at Kilmore and Bendigo.

Trainer Sheila Arnold was already formulating future plans after the son of Scenic Lodge sire Dash For Cash won the Universal On McCrae Hcp (1600m) on Thursday.

“He’s going places the way he put them away,” Arnold predicted as her son Steven brought the four year-old back to scale at Bendigo. “My other son Doug has put a lot of work into him and Steven applied the polish today.

Arrikool (4g Dash For Cash – Aunty Hilda by Nassipour) commenced his career winning in Darwin for a syndicate managed by family patriarch Keith. He was bred in Victoria by Mario Papanastasiou and returned home earlier this season.

“That was a strong win and it’s extra special to get one home for Mum,” Steven Arnold said. “He quickened up and put paid to them in a couple of strides. He’s a city horse for sure.”

Sheila Arnold was a leading trainer in the Northern Territory for many years – she won the Alice Springs Cup seven times – but is now based at Kyneton.

Arrikool’s NZ bred dam Aunty Hilda won 6 races along the NSW – Victorian border for Papanastasiou before retiring to stud. Second-dam What A Save (Law Society) was raced in England by champion goal-keeper Peter Shilton.

Dash For Cash will cover his first Sunspeed mares at Scenic Lodge this year for an introductory fee of $7,700 (inc gst). The response has been very encouraging and general manager Jeremy Smith has also received enquiries from Eastern States broodmare owners keen to continue breeding to him in Western Australia.

Brilliant Start At Stud By Universal Ruler

Scenic Lodge freshman Universal Ruler sired his first winner when racing returned to Belmont on Saturday.

His brilliant youngster Rebel King won the Westspeed Nursery (1000m) untouched by four lengths first-up after a spell.  The ease of the victory prompted a string of superlatives from trainer Darren McAuliffe in a post-race interview.

“This horse is the quickest I’ve ever had,” McAuliffe stated.  “And that’s no disrespect to Universal Ruler – I trained him too but this one is in a different grade.”

Rebel King (2g Universal Ruler – Rebel Sister by Falbrav) had won a 400m jump-out by 13 lengths last month and started an odds-on favourite at his first run back since February.  “He got knocked down on debut and the protest was dismissed,” McAuliffe recalled.  “Then I declared him for the Magic Millions Classic second-up but he pulled up shin-sore.

“He’s a high-cruising sprinter with a great turn of foot and he’s got a decent motor.  His sectionals are already off the richter scale.”

McAuliffe trains Rebel King for a syndicate managed by Impressive Racing owner Kevin Berry.  “We raced Universal Ruler and there’s a real buzz around his first two year-olds,” Berry said recently.  “They can run alright and, besides our stable, I’m hearing there’s a lot more coming through with other trainers.”

Universal Ruler (Scenic) defeated Australian Horse of the Year Scenic Blast in the LR Perth Stakes at two and trained on to a Group 3 victory in the Belmont Sprint.

Scenic Lodge will announce its 2014 service fees for Blackfriars, Dash For Cash and Universal Ruler this week.

Stallion Fee’s Announced for 2014 – Reduced Fee for Blackfriars

As Blackfriars careers ahead of his rivals for a fourth consecutive Sunspeed sires’ premiership, Scenic Lodge has reduced his 2014 service fee to $17,600 (inc gst).

“We have made the decision to reduce Blackfriars by 20% due to current market conditions in Western Australia,” Scenic Lodge general manager Jeremy Smith explained.  “It will ensure he remains accessible to as many local breeders as possible.

“Dash For Cash is also standing here for his first season in WA and we will be supporting him with a large number of our own mares.  That will open up a few more outside nominations for breeders wishing to go to Blackfriars.”

Blackfriars completed a hat-trick of Sunspeed crowns last year and he is home-and-hosed this season with earnings of $3.21 million.  Next best among stallions available to WA broodmare owners is Dash For Cash ($2.21 million) and Oratorio ($1.89 million).

Blackfriars (Danehill) sired his 25th stakes winner when Prentice claimed the G3 WA Sires’ Produce Stakes on the Anzac Day long-weekend.  His other black-type winners this season have been Black Tycoon (G2 Perth Cup), Kerrific (G3 R J Peters Stakes), Playing God (G3 Northerly Stakes) and Pop Culture (LR Detonator Stakes).

Dash For Cash will stand for an introductory fee of $7,700 (inc gst) at Scenic Lodge.

“He was an outstanding Group 1 winning racehorse and is a proven stallion,” Smith said.  “He has sired 66 winners of 101 races in Australia so far this season and that puts him well clear of any other stallion based in WA.

“Dash For Cash is a Mr Prospector line stallion and that’s a totally different bloodline to Blackfriars.  His fee represents great value for his WA debut.”

Universal Ruler opened his account at stud in spectacular style when Rebel King bolted in at Belmont on Saturday.  A son of champion Sadler’s Wells sire Scenic, he is Sunspeed’s leading first season sire this season and there are more juvenile winners in the pipeline.

He has had 22 runners to trial and, amazingly, 17 of them have either won or placed.  The Scenic influence and their natural ability should see his stock improve with maturity.

Universal Ruler will remain at a $3,850(inc gst) service fee in 2014.

For further information, broodmare owners should contact Scenic Lodge on (08) 9571 0155 or Jeremy Smith on 0419 943 356