Big Risk Reaps Big Rewards

Some 22 years after securing Scenic and 17 years after landing Blackfriars at their Muchea stud farm Scenic Lodge, general manager Jeremy Smith is still in awe at his family’s good fortune.

If not for the impact Danehill and the big migration ofnorthern hemisphere sires into NSW and Victoria, Scenicwould have stayed in Victoria. (He returned for a seasonat Collingrove on loan from Scenic Lodge, then DurhamLodge).

Blackfriars, a son of Danehill, won the blue riband eventof the 1999 Victoria Derby (beating Shogun Lodge andDiatribe) at Flemington and appeared destined for abright career at Robert Sangster’s Collingrove Stud inVictoria.

Popular Geraldton-born bloodstock agent and LindsayPark’s racing manager at the time, Mark Pilkington, wasagainst Blackfriars being sold at all. Mark was a key-brokerin the Scenic deal with Jeremy’s father and stud founderDavid Smith.

Collingrove already had Danehill Dancer standing atstud. To add another son of Danehill, who would becompeting for broodmares on the same property did notmake commercial sense.

Jeremy remembers the process fondly, “We were able tonegotiate to buy Blackfriars because of our associationwith Collingrove through securing Scenic. We did have totake a risk with Blackfriars because we paid I think about$1 million for him and he was an unproven sire. He wasa Victoria Derby winner and there were knocks on thembeing successful stallions.

There were also knocks on staying sons of Danehill beingsuccessful at stud. We had to support Blackfriars heavilywith our own mares in the early days. If he hadn’t hadthose mares in the first few seasons he would not havehad the numbers flowing through. He started fairly welland then there were a few questions about him beforehe started up again with the winners flowing through. Withthe winners came the better-bred mares from outsideand the bigger books.”

Smith recalled Blackfriars’ biggest single season at studwas serving 182 mares.

“I would say that would be a WA record,” Smith said. “Back in the last century stallions did not cover such big numbers of mares in a season.

“He consistently did books in the 140 mare range for say three or four seasons before the numbers of mares in WA started to decline.”

In actual fact, Blackfriars has been the leading WA Sire since 2010- 2011, taking over from Scenic who had been the leading Sire for the previous eight seasons.

Blackfriars death was traumatic for the Smith family. The 21-yearold sire was euthanized following a routine operation to remove a blockage in his bowel in December 2017.

That morning, Jeremy had stopped to fix a sprinkler in Blackfriars yard and marvelled at how well he looked.

“He was fine. I gave him a pat and was thinking about how well he looks.

“Blackfriars was such a healthy horse,” Smith said. “He never had any significant issues in his life.

“About an hour later one of the girls contacted me to say he was looking a bit colicy.

“Luckily the veterinarian was on the property attending to mares.

“He said it was best to get him down to the clinic and have a good look at him. He didn’t think it was anything major but he decided to go in and operate because the horse was uncomfortable.

“He rang me immediately after the surgery and said the operation was very straightforward as there was only a minor twist.

“He was confident he would be fine.

“Then about a half hour later I got acall to say he’d broken his shoulder.

“He was in a padded box and youwould not think anything couldhappen.

“He was such a big strong horse Iguess when he was trying to get upit just gave way.

“It was a whirlwind of emotions thatday.

“I still go past his yard and expecthim to pop his head out of the box.

“He was just such a lovely horse bynature.

“Blackfriars was getting towards theend of his career, but in saying thathe had no problems with his fertility,”Smith said.

“In the last year, he was dynamite!

“It would have been nice to see him grow old, but we are thankful to have had him and for the joy, he gave to us and many other people through his progeny.

“I get a big buzz out of seeing his sons and daughters win races for other people.

“It is as if I own them…it means alot to me.”

Black Heart Bart, who was recently retired after claiming five Group 1 wins for ace Victorian trainer Darren Weir on the East Coast, gave Blackfriars his most coveted wins interstate.

Others like Playing God were Group1 placed in Melbourne and theAdelaide-trained Éclair Surprise andWATC Derby winner Rohan weretouted to be stars, but injury strucka savage blow to their blossomingcareers.

“There were different issues that other horses had (other than Black Heart Bart) who showed heaps of promise but things did not pan their way.

“Blackfriars’ horses always gave you 100 per cent.

“They might not be a Black Heart Bart, but they gave their all and they were tough and genuine.

“They had beautiful temperaments so the trainers loved them.

“Blackfriars will make a fantastic broodmare sire in the future.

“He has an outstanding pedigree and his mares are already starting to show.”

Blackfriars, who was affectionately known as Kenny by staff, covered 92 mares in his last season and 62 foals were born from his penultimate book.

Blackfriars is buried as a war-horse standing up alongside Scenic on the Smith’s property.

The last Blackfriars born at Scenic Lodge was a colt from the Bletchley Park mare Bonny Bonny (Our Bonny Lass, Ron Bon) in early November.

“We have had about 20 foals born here this season,” Smith said.

Scenic Lodge is built on the hallowed grounds of former top trainer Ted Hicklings’ stables.

Hickling with owner and hotelier Wally Hannah pulled off many plunges on their horses.

Hickling stood 1978 WA Derby winner and Australian Derby runnerup Regimental Honour (Seventh Hussar-Proud Pundit, Proper Pride) on the property.

Regimental Honour produced 1990 Perth Cup winner Word Of Honour, Proud Treaty and Lord Of Strathcona.

Word Of Honour, Proud Treaty and Lord Of Strathcona were prepared by Hickling’s stable foreman, Alan Mathews, who took over the stables following Hickling’s death.

Hickling produced 1982 Australian Derby and 1983 Railway Stakes winner Sanatate and Eastern Temple, winner of the 1984 Railway Stakes, among a swag of top-class racehorses from the property.

Hicklings’ home, stables and worktrack are still used by the Smith family, in the operations of their stud business.

Scenic Lodge will present 12 (6 colts and 6 fillies) Blackfriars’ yearlings at the forthcoming Perth Magic Millions Yearling Sale on February 18 and 19.

Smith believes buyers will be keen to get hold of his stock.

Blackfriars was the top stallion with his 13 yearlings (Book 1) selling at an average of $59,577 and grossing $774,500.

“We have a really nice blend of yearlings and I expect buyers to be keen to buy them,” says Smith.

One of Jeremy’s favourite of Blackfriars yearlings to go under the hammer is a half-sister to Boulder Cup winner and Perth Cup runnerup Red Blast.

This Lot 25, is a filly, out of Classy Charmer (Regal Classic-Daughter’s Charm) and related to outstanding WA sprinters Gilded Venom and Scenic Blast.

“She is also a full sister to Elegant Blast and one of our best fillies,” Smith said.

Another to note is a half-brother to 2017 Magic Millions 2YO Classic and Karrakatta Plate winner Lucy Mae. Lucy Mae (Stratum) won WA’s leading two-year-old award for her feats.

This colt (Lot 113) is from the Scenic mare Razzia and from the top family of Universal Prince, Universal Queen and Blevic.

“He is compact and appears he could be firing up as a two-yearold,” Smith said.

Leading stables will be keen to grasp a full-brother (Lot 120) to top class galloper Come Play With Me (Blackfriars-Russian Playmate, Dr Johnson).

Come Play With Me brilliantly won the 2018 Aquanita Stakes and Belmont Classic and at the time of writing had won eight of his 16 starts.

“Russian Playmate is owned by the Durrant family and we do a foal deal with them each season,” Smith said. “We have developed a good relationship with them over many years as they breed quite a few horses here.”

Other Blackfriars’ stars (but not under Scenic Lodge) in Book One are Lot 36 and Lot 98.

Lot 36 is from the Street Cry mare Delta Gee (Valiant Wave, by Green Line Express), who won the Listed Natasha Stakes and was placed second in the Group 3 Matron and Tesio stakes in Victoria.

She also ran third in the Listed Ascot One Thousand Guineas and Farnley Stakes.

The handsome filly is a three-quarter sister to Wave Rock, who won the Natasha and Ascot One Thousand Guineas and was third in the Group 3 Champion Fillies Stakes and Listed Burgess Queen Stakes.

Lot 98 is anticipated to be the toppriced colt for Blackfriars at the sale.

The colt’s dam Out Spoken Lady is by champion racehorse and sire Galileo from Continental

Dame (Continental, Clear Choice), a winning daughter of top sire Danehill Dancer. She has produced the outstanding filly Lady Cosmology, by last season’s leading WA Juvenile sire Universal Ruler.

Lady Cosmology won the Listed Supremacy Stakes and was second in the Group 2 Karrakatta Plate and Group 3 WA Sires Produce Stakes last season.

This season so far she has won the Listed Burgess Queen Stakes and was runner-up to Arcadia Queen in the Group 3 Champion Fillies Stakes and Group 2 WA Guineas.

The colt is closely related to Burgess Queen winner and WA Oaks second placed Magdalena, Champion two-year-old filly of South Africa in 2014-15 Entisaar, Listed Raconteur Stakes and Belmont Oaks winner Mizlecki and Coolgardie Cup victor Amelias Dancer.

Other close relations include Listed Nagawyni Stakes winner Social Soldier and Listed VRC ANZAC Day Stakes winner Stormy Summers.

The sale will be the first held at the state-of-the-art Magic Millions complex in the Swan Valley. It is expected to be another outstanding success following last year’s sale where it attained Australasia’s highest clearance rate of 97 per cent.

Interstate and overseas buyers spent over $2 million with 28 yearlings fetching more than $100,000 compared to 18 in the previous year.

There was a gross increase of 24 per cent.