Sad loss for the WA breeding industry – Champion sire Blackfriars has died

In a sad loss for the WA breeding industry, champion sire Blackfriars has died at Scenic Lodge.

The 21 year-old son of Danehill shattered a shoulder after colic surgery on Friday night.  “He was a true gentleman and loved by all,” Scenic Lodge’s Jeremy Smith said.  “We are all in shock.”

Blackfriars has been a dominant force in Western Australia winning the last 7 sires’ premierships.  His 400th individual winner arrived at Bunbury last Sunday and they have won over 1300 races.  Among them are a WA-record 36 stakes winners headed by current-day star Black Heart Bart.

A Swettenham Stud homebred, Blackfriars won a top-class renewal of the G1 Victoria Derby in 1999 defeating Shogun Lodge and Diatribe.  And in a deal that proved to be a massive coup for the local industry, Scenic Lodge bought him from Robert Sangster to join former Swettenham sire Scenic (Ire) in Muchea.

“He’s been part of the place for 17 years,” Smith said.  “He was in such good health and was never an ounce of trouble.

“He did it the hard way.  We had to get right behind him and, apart from being a champion, he was also just a lovely horse.”

Blackfriars will be buried alongside Scenic.  He covered over 90 mares at Scenic Lodge this season and there are 62 foals on the ground from his penultimate book.  He has 24 yearlings catalogued for the 2018 Perth Magic Millions and his young sire-sons Playing God (Mungrup Stud) and God Has Spoken (Rivercrest Park) are also represented at the February Sale.

Blackfriars Sires Winner Number 400

Blackfriars passed another career milestone when Willas Way won the Switchboards WA Maiden (1420m) at Bunbury on Sunday.

The Bruce Watkins-trained mare is the 400th individual winner for Scenic Lodge’s champion son of Danehill.  Having her second start this season, she settled one-out and one-back behind front-runner Pokemon Pete and then did best in a duel with Imortalite to score by a head.

Willas Way had to survive a protest before notching the ground-breaking win for Blackfriars and her managing part-owners John and Stephanie McGinty from Manjimup.  “I’m pretty sure she’s their first winner,” Watkins said.  “She fought it out all the way to the line and I will probably step her up to a mile next time.

“She should have broken through first-up at Mt Barker but kept ducking in behind the leaders.”

Willas Way is from Bindidane (Love A Dane), a three-time Bunbury winner for Watkins.   She was bred by Lillydale Park owner Greg Beauglehole whose uncle Keith owned the dam of Group 1 winning mare Miss Andretti

Blackfriars has sired more individual winners that any other sire based solely in WA.  Former Dawson Stud / Lynward Park stallion Bletchley Park (Ire) held the previous record at 395 – his youngest are six year-olds and his latest maiden winner was Dash Dot Dash at Pinjarra in January

There are 24 yearlings by Blackfriars catalogued for the Perth Magic Millions in February.  Among the highlights from Scenic Lodge are the brother to LR Placid Ark Stakes winner Black Felix (Lot 40), the three-quarter brother to G3 Belmont Sprint winner Shining Knight (Lot 55) and the half-sister to G2 Karrakatta Plate winner Lucy Mae (Lot 125).

 

Wilde winners by Dash For Cash

Victorian trainer Symon Wilde has more silverware lined up for Dodging Bullets in the $100,000 Werribee Cup (2000m) this Sunday.

The consistent son of Scenic Lodge sire Dash For Cash won the $100,000 Kyneton Cup last month and Wilde warmed up for his next assignment with another Dash For Cash winner at Terang on Monday.

His grey mare Dash Of Pash scored by two lengths first-up giving jockey Andrew Mallyon a trouble-free winning fee in the Terang Co-Op Maiden Plate (1200m).  She was resuming after a fast-finishing fourth on debut at Hamilton in June.

“She gave me a good feel when I came down to ride her work last week,” Mallyon said.  “She showed a bit of toe and I was confident when she jumped and sat outside the leader today.

“She put her head on her chest and went to sleep.  I gave her a kick in the straight and she put them away.  She’s not filly furnished so will definitely keep progressing.”

A homebred for Wayne Johnstone, she is by Dash For Cash from La Reef (North Reef) who won three restricted sprints in the western districts.  Her half-sister La Mookta claimed a Terang maiden before graduating to city wins at Flemington (3) and Caulfield.  She was also stakes placed at Flemington and at Warrnambool in a Wangoom Hcp.

“Dash Of Pash has been given plenty of time to mature – she’s in great order,” Wilde explained.  “And it’s a thrill to win here for Wayne.  He’s president of the Terang Racing Club.”