Perfect 10 for Blackfriars
Scenic Lodge champion Blackfriars has claimed a 10th WA sires’ premiership in a row and, like most of his titles, he doubled the prizemoney of the next best stallion on the ladder.
Blackfriars ($6.17 million), who has his final 2yo crop in action this season, defeated fellow Scenic Lodge sire Snippetson ($3.05 million) with Yarradale Stud’s War Chant third ($2.91 million).
“He was an amazing horse and he can add another couple of premierships because his two year-olds have never been a significant factor in all those years,” Scenic Lodge’s Jeremy Smith said. “We are so proud of what he achieved and there were more Group 1 wins in Melbourne and Sydney last season with Black Heart Bart and Come Play With Me.”
Blackfriars (Danehill) joined the Muchea stud’s roster when it was known as Durham Lodge. The name changed to Scenic Lodge in August 2012 to honour its foundation sire who won 9 consecutive WA titles between 2002 and 2010.
“Scenic climbed to No.2 in Australia at one stage,” Smith recalled. “It’s hard to believe, but we’ve now won 19 WA sires’ premierships in a row.”
Snippetson is the leading active sire in the west and there’s every chance he could take over the mantle when the numbers begin to dwindle for Blackfriars. “We purchased him off Widden Stud and his first two crops over here have produced the top two year-olds Tinsnip and Gemma’s Son,” Smith said. “That’s exactly what we bought him for.”
Snippetson had the WA 2YO premiership sewn up in April before first-season sire I’m All The Talk swooped in the final weeks of the season.
I’m All The Talk (Stratum) covered his first four books at Mungrup Stud before transferring to Darling View Thoroughbreds last month along with Playing God (Blackfriars).
Darling View’s Brent Atwell now stands four stallions with Patronize (Redoute’s Choice) and Lucky Street (Oratorio) already on the roster at Mundijong. “It’s full-on here now and the two new stallions have been very popular,” Atwell said. “Steph Mitchell worked with them at Mungrup and she has joined our team, too.”
Playing God stands for a WA-high $13,200 service fee and he’s already on the board as a Group 1 winning sire courtesy of Kay Cee in the 2019 Kingston Town Classic. Trainer Neville Parnham has side-stepped a Melbourne spring campaign with Kay Cee to concentrate on a running double in Perth’s premier weight-for-age event at Ascot on December 5.
Among the mares in Playing God’s first Darling View book is Russian Playmate (Dr Johnston). Owned by Geoff & Vicki Durrant, she is the dam of last year’s G1 ATC Metropolitan Hcp winner Come Play With Me.
I’m All The Talk won a G3 Skyline Stakes at Warwick Farm for Gary Portelli and he sired 6 first-crop winners in 2019-20 headed by Watch Me Dance (G3 WA Sires’ Produce Stakes). Madam Torio helped him clinch the 2YO title by winning a Belmont nursery on July 22.
Magic Millions will this week host Mungrup Stud’s Complete Dispersal Online Sale. Comprising 167 lots, it features yearlings, two and three year-olds and broodmares.
Bidding opened yesterday and the countdown to the close of bidding will commence with Lot 1 from 12 Noon (AWST) next Tuesday, August 11.
Playing God has 23 new-season yearlings for sale, A Lot (USA) has 18 from his first crop, Champion WA 2YO sire Oratorio has 17 and I’m All The Talk 11.
The Mungrup Sale catalogue can be viewed here.