Blackfriars Supreme at Ascot

London Line joined the Blackfriars bandwagon in the LR Supremacy Stakes (1100m) at Ascot on Saturday.

He is the 29th stakes winner for Scenic Lodge’s champion stallion who is well on the way to a fifth Sunspeed premiership with earnings over $2.75 million this season.

London Line (2g Blackfriars – Line Of Flight by Bletchley Park) won on debut at Ascot in December and was the best of good things beaten when runner-up to Puteri Jewel on New Year’s Day.  Champion jockey Willie Pike took luck in running out of the equation by leading and the gelding kept finding in the straight to defeat Chantski by a head.

He is prepared by Dan Morton for his parents Len and Annette and is from a family that’s provided numerous highlights for the Mortons and Scenic Lodge.  His dam Line Of Flight is a half-sister Scenic Shot won 17 races including Group 1 conquests in a Mackinnon Stakes and two Doomben Cups.

Line Of Flight won the 2009 Perth Magic Millions 3YO Trophy and she foaled a Choisir colt in New Zealand last year.  Breeder Robert Anderson had sent her across the Tasman to be covered by Reliable Man.

London Line holds a Group 2 nomination for the Karrakatta Plate on March 28 and connections will decide whether to go there via the G3 WA Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) on April 14.

Blackfriars sired last year’s WA Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Prentice.

Youl Dash dodges traffic jam at Ballarat

Dash For Cash completed a treble within 24 hours when Youl Dash For Cash lobbed as a $21 long-shot at Ballarat on Thursday.

The Scenic Lodge stallion also sired Wednesday winners Dashiell (Sale) and Ash For Cash (Launceston).

YOUL DASH FOR CASH (3g x Hill Part by Danehill Dancer) was appearing for just the second time in a 1600m maiden and he will continue to improve being out of a half-sister to G3 Victorian St Leger winner Teddy Bear.

“He ran a big race first up at Kyneton and was a bit stiff not to win,” trainer Peter Gelagotis said.  “He travelled beautifully today and got a bit lost when he reached the front.”

Youl Dash For Cash is a homebred for Scott Emery and he also raced Lesvos Ruler with Gelagotis.  The Kingston Rule gelding won 13 races on the flat and over hurdles in the 1990s.

“He’s still green but feels like a stayer,” winning jockey Vlad Duric said.  “It was my fault last time – we got into a traffic jam and came from last to finish fourth.”

DASHIELL (6g x Blanchett by Testa Rossa) returned to winning form at Sale on Wednesday for Robbie Griffiths and a syndicate headed by part-owner and breeder John Mathieson.  He is from a sister to Magic Millions 3YO Trophy winner Tereschenko and won in the style of a horse with lots more to offer.

The consistent six-year-old blew the start when returning to the provincials but jockey Matt Allan didn’t panic.  “He must have had his eyes shut when the gates opened!” Allan said.  “I rode him like he was the best horse in the race and he got into a lovely rhythm.

“I angled to the outside and he let down pretty well.  It was a soft win – he hit the line with ears pricked.”

ASH FOR CASH (6g x Sexy Lady by Scenic) scored a eye-catching victory with a last-to-first finish in Launceston on Wednesday evening.  He skirted the outside rail to win his fifth race for part-owner and trainer by Barry Goodrick.

The grey galloper has Western Australian links through his second-dam Palace Talk (Ron Bon) who was bred by Rangeview Stud to win the 1994 Queens Plate.  Other Sunspeed breeders involved with the family going back several generations include Sir Ernest Lee-Steere at Limestone Park and Don McCully when he operated Yarradale Stud in the 1980s.

Dash For Cash has sired the winners of $774,000 this season. He relocated to Scenic Lodge last year and stood for a $7,700 (inc gst) service fee.

Second-to-none strike-rate by Universal Ruler

Universal Ruler has taken over with the top winning strike-rate for second deason sires in Australia.

The Scenic Lodge resident has 15 individual winners from 31 starters this season (48%).  He leads Hunter Valley sires I Am Invincible (47%), Manhattan Rain (46%) and Medaglia d’Oro (44%) among those stallions with double-digit winner counts.

Universal Ruler (Scenic) was WA Champion first-season stallion in 2013-14 and he finished fourth on the Australian premiership behind I Am Invincible, Denman and Duporth.

His stats continued to improve in February with first-time winners She Rules All (Pinjarra), Military Reign (Bunbury) and Universal Moon (Ascot).

Military Reign bolted in on debut at Bunbury and she butters up in the Westspeed Plate at Ascot this Wednesday, March 4.  Trainer Darren McAuliffe has nominated her for the G2 Karrakatta Plate on March 28.

Universal Moon is prepared by David Harrison and looked one to follow after storming to victory for in-form owners Alan and Brigit MacAlister.  She was a $16,000 buy as a foal from Scenic Lodge and is from a three-quarter sister to Sunspeed flyer Roadsong who won three stakes races in the Eastern States and then foaled G1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner Road To Success.

Scenic Lodge booked 127 mares to Universal Ruler last year on the back of his first-season exploits at a bargain service fee of $3,850 (inc gst) fee.