Black Heart Bart too good in G1 Goodwood

Darren Weir labelled Black Heart Bart the perfect horse to train following the G1 Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville.

The Blackfriars gelding sent his earnings to $1.70 million after a convincing victory in Adelaide’s feature sprint of the season.  “All his runs for me have been terrific and he deserved a Group 1,” Weir said.  “He’s a perfect horse.  He eats well, he works well, he’s very sound and he’s a good racehorse.  They’re hard to find.”

Black Heart Bart will now head to Brisbane to tackle the Group 1 Stradbroke Hcp (1400m).  “The plan all along was to come here,” Weir explained.  “It’s three weeks to the Stradbroke which is ideal.”

In three prior starts for Weir, Black Heart Bart had run seconds in the G1 Newmarket Hcp and G1 All Aged Stakes on either side of a Group 3 victory in the Victoria Hcp at Caulfield.

He firmed from $4 into $2.80 for the Goodwood although favourite punters would have been concerned when he was bailed up on the fence at the top of the straight.  “We thought the inside draw could be a problem but it was a great ride by Brad (Rawiller),” Weir said.  “Once in the clear, I knew he was going to be really strong through the line.”

The Goodwood result was the third Group 1 for Blackfriars following dual Kingston Town Classic winner Playing God.  The Scenic Lodge champion had already clinched a sixth successive WA sires’ premiership before Black Heart Bart banked another $320,000 on Saturday.

It was the second-leg of an interstate feature double for Scenic Lodge.  The Muchea nursery is also home to Snippetson who sired Snippets Land to a Listed victory in the BRC Sprint (1350m) at Doomben.

Blackfriars (Danehill) will stand for an unchanged service fee of $12,000 (plus gst) this year.

 

Snippets Land defies leader-bias in BRC Sprint

Snippets Land has produced a barnstorming finish to snatch his second win at Listed level in the BRC Sprint (1350m) at Doomben.

The son of Scenic Lodge resident Snippetson won against a leader-bias when he descended from the back-half of the field to defeat Religify by a half-neck on Saturday.  “He’s genuine and a real trier,” trainer Peter Snowden said.  “He isn’t far off top company but isn’t there just yet.”

Snowden indicated he will probably run next in the G2 QTC Cup on June 4 instead of the G1 Stradbroke Hcp a week later.

Snippets Land (5g Snippetson – Seduction Line by Testa Rossa) sold for $120,000 at the 2012 Gold Coast Magic Millions and has returned over $342,040 for Ross Visalli’s Yellowbrick Road syndicate.  He won the LR National Sprint in Canberra last year and was runner-up in the LR Prime Minister’s Cup at the Gold Coast earlier this month.

Snippetson filly My Poppette put the writing on the wall for more black-type when she finished fourth in the G3 Proud Miss Stakes at Morphettville on Saturday.  “Mark Zahra had to ride for luck from the outside barrier and she was stuck behind a wall of horses,” trainer Robert Smerdon said.  “She put herself into the race but then ducked in losing momentum.  It was a huge effort.”

My Poppette was racing second-up after a six-month spell in Adelaide.  She had won the LR Anzac Day Stakes at Flemington and G2 Moonee Valley Fillies Classic last year.

Scenic Lodge stands Snippetson for a $6,500 (plus gst) service fee.  He has pushed through $3 million in progeny earnings this season and is a clear second on the WA Sires’ premiership behind Scenic Lodge champion Blackfriars.

Landmark double for Universal Ruler

Leading trainer Darren McAuliffe completed a landmark double with Military Reign and Military Ruler at Belmont on Saturday.

It’s the first time he’s prepared a brother – sister combination to win on the same program and he also bred them by using Scenic Lodge stallion Universal Ruler over General’s Delight.

“I bought the dam for $70,000 as a weanling at the Gold Coast Magic Millions,” McAuliffe recalled.  “She was injured while being educated and never raced so we put her Universal Ruler.”

Military Reign nailed the first-leg with a front-running victory that improved her record to 6 wins in 12 starts for earnings of $348,550.  Connections were prepared to raise the bar with the three year-old filly after she defeated Magnifisio in the Marjorie Charleson Classic (1200m) but decided against a rematch in the G3 Roma Cup on Saturday.

“She’s still maturing and it’s always a tough assignment taking on older horses at weight-for-age,” McAuliffe explained.  “Stepping up to 1200m will suit.  She can come up for air and we can pinch some more Westspeed Extra bonuses.

“Unfortunately, General’s Delight is barren so we will keep this filly as a broodmare after she’s finished racing.”

Older brother Military Ruler also appreciated a longer trip when racing second-up over 1600m on Saturday.  “He loves to chase and I was happy to see the leader (Verdello Blue) take him into the race.  There are no set plans – he’s effective from 1400m to 1800m – so we will just look for the best races like we do with all our horses.”

Universal Ruler (Scenic) stands for a $4,500 (plus gst) service fee at Scenic Lodge.  He is among Australia’s leading third-crop sires with the winners of 21 races and $691,135 in prizemoney this season.

Photo: Military Ruler by Westernracepix.com

Vergara tops Day 3 Inglis Sale

Strong buyer competition continued during the third session of the Inglis Broodmare and Weanling Sale on Tuesday with the average climbing 34% to $63,695.
Gross receipts for broodmares is more than $22 million, well up on the $17.50 million for the total sale in 2015, with a full day of selling to come on Wednesday.

Tuesday’s top price was recorded for Group 3 winner Vergara when Heritage Bloodstock’s Paul Guy paid $460,000 on behalf of Blue Gum Farm.  The four-year-old Snippetson mare attracted significant interest after running a strong fourth behind Winx in the G1 Doncaster Hcp last month.

“She will be bred this season but not before we give her a freshen-up and take her to Brisbane,” said Guy.  “She does well first up so we’re looking forward to seeing some results.  We’re excited to get her, she’s out of a half-sister to Blue Gum’s sire Turffontein so we have a lot of respect for the family.”

Blackfriars breaks through $4 million

Lightly-raced Blackfriars sprinter Erika produced a barnstorming finish to capture the feature race for fillies & mares at the Wagga Gold Cup meeting on Friday.
Erika won the Rules Club Queen of the South (1400m) to send Blackfriars through $4 million in prizemoney this season.  She has been a regular money-spinner for connections winning 3 races and being placed 4 times in the last twelve months.

Her only unplaced run this season was a midfield finish at Warwick Farm in October.  “She’s a nice mare and toughed that out really well,” trainer John Bateman said.  “We might go back to town and find another race for her now.”

Erika (4m Blackfriars – Europium by Metal Storm) is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Moment Of Change and, like him, was bred by Capel-based Sovereign Stud owner Tracy Knotts.  Second-dam Kosleta (Zabaleta) won the 1996 R J Peters Stakes and among her foals was 2006 Belmont Guineas winner Mr Diagnosis (Scenic).

Group 1 winning jockey Jay Ford was impressed by the strength of her win at Wagga.  “I had a bit to do with Erika in the early days but haven’t been able to ride her in a race until now.  She’s up in the weights against mares so it was a gusty effort.”

Scenic Lodge has announced Blackfriars will remain at a $12,000 (plus gst) service fee for 2016.  He is assured of a sixth Sunspeed title in a row this season and will nudge $5 million in earnings if Black Heart Bart wins the G1 Doomben 10,000 or G1 Stradbroke Hcp at the Brisbane winter carnival.

Scenic Lodge Releases 2016 Service Fees

Scenic Lodge has released its service fees for 2016 with general manager Jeremy Smith announcing champion sire Blackfriars will remain unchanged at $12,000 (plus gst).

The Muchea stud has been home to WA champion sires for the last 14 years!  Legendary stallion Scenic (Ire) rewrote the record books with 9 titles in a row before Blackfriars assumed his mantle in 2011.

“Blackfriars has been WA champion for the last 5 seasons and is on track to make it 6 this year,” Smith said earlier this week.  “This is his best-ever season and he’s just about to break the $4 million barrier in earnings.

“Black Heart Bart is knocking on the door for a Group 1 and it could be in the Goodwood or the Stradbroke.  He’s been placed in the Newmarket Hcp and All-Aged Stakes on either side of winning the G3 Victoria Hcp at Caulfield.”

Blackfriars (Danehill) is also poised to better a career-best record in the three year-old division this season.  There were 22 winners of $1.54 million in 2011-12 and he had sired 20 winners of $1.20 million in that category by Anzac Day.

“There’s already been a rush of booking to Blackfriars this year – he will cover a strictly limited book so early bookings are absolutely essential.”

Proven sire Snippetson is enjoying another exceptional season and is currently second on the WA table behind Blackfriars.  “We’re looking forward to his first locally-bred foals here in August,” Smith said.  “He’s such an outstanding type and sires what the market demands – Fast, mature, early-runners.”

Snippetson remains very commercial with massive numbers coming through from big books in the Hunter Valley and WA.  That will ensure he challenges for Champion WA Sire award in the future.

Universal Ruler has done an amazing job at stud and he’s done it the hard way off limited numbers in his early books.  “He’s in the same mould as Snippetson in that he produces fast two year-olds that train on,” Smith explained.  “He has over 70 foals from higher-quality mares on the ground and this is, without doubt, the best year to send a mare to Universal Ruler.”

Scenic Lodge will stand Dash For Cash for a $3,000 (plus gst) fee this year and, at that price, he would have to be the best value, proven stallion available anywhere in Australia.  “He’s having another good season with more individual winners than any other sire in WA,” Smith revealed.  “And his strike-rate is still ticking over at a very high 64%.”

Scenic Lodge has structured a discount plan for early confirmed bookings to its stallions this year.  For further details, broodmare owners should contact Jeremy Smith on 0419 943 356  or  [email protected]

BLACKFRIARS  $12,000 (plus gst)

SNIPPETSON  $6,500 (plus gst)

UNIVERSAL RULER  $4,500 (plus gst)

DASH FOR CASH  $3,000 (plus gst)