5 minute read
Scenic Lodge
from 2024 MMWA Magazine
By Kristen Manning
The legacy created by the very first Group 1 winner sired by the great Sadler’s Wells is keenly felt and appreciated at Scenic Lodgeso much so that the farm, one of Western Australia’s most successful, is named in his honour.
The stud’s General Manager Jeremy Smith is well aware of the debt owed to the 1988 Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes winner Scenic who arrived in Western Australia on the back of solid if not spectacular success during his time in the eastern states
“He was ticking over in Victoria but within just a couple of months of his arrival here he took off and had the most amazing run of success - his progeny were winning all over the place!” Jeremy recalled
“Talk about timing - we were very, very lucky and I think if it had been just a few months later we would never have got him We even had the opportunity to lease him back to Swettenham Stud at one stage ”
The sire of 71 stakes winners, 13 of whom were successful at the elite level, Scenic - who died in 2005 - is still making his mark at Scenic Lodge whose sole stallion (they sadly lost two favourites in 2023) Universal Ruler is his only son at stud
His former stud mates Dash For Cash and Snippetson both died last year but are both fondly remembered as good winner producers with strength of character
“Dash For Cash had unbelievable libido and was still covering the spring before he died as was Snippetson ”
“Dash For Cash was a very popular horse who people enjoyed coming to visit - and Snippetson was well known as a good, honest stallion who sired fast, nice types… both stallions did a good job ”
Though it was Blackfriars who really kept Scenic Lodge’s name in lights, the 1999 Group 1 VRC Derby hero who died in 2017 so well represented by 48 stakes winners including the Group 1 gallopers Black Heart Bart, Come Play With Me and Playing God
“He was an absolute freak and look at what Playing God is doing now!”
That horse, Darling View’s dual Kingston Town Classic winner is doing a good job keeping this branch of the Danehill sire line going - proving to be a nice upgrader with his 16 stakes winners
And whilst he does not stand at Scenic Lodge, Jeremy is proud of his achievements as a son of Blackfriars - as he is of Universal Ruler by Scenic
“It is gratifying that two of Western Australia’s best and most in-form stallions are sons of horses we have stood at Scenic Lodge And both horses were bred, raised and sold by us ” Universal Ruler (who has had “a fantastic twelve months”) is, Jeremy said, a horse with a similar personality to his sire - “he is a bit quirky, like Scenic he has his little traits I could never 100% trust either of them - I have to always be on my guard, they are horses without great attention spans but with a lot of character!”
The sire of 11 stakes winners amongst his first 167 winners, Universal Ruler joins Snippetson as the sire of some very nice yearlings in Scenic Lodge’s 2024 Perth Magic Millions draft; the latter represented by his penultimate crop
Jeremy is very happy with the overall quality of the Scenic Lodge draft, noting that “there is no tail-end - they are a very nice group of horses ”
There are however highlights for both Snippetson and Universal Ruler…
Lot 52 bay filly Universal Ruler - Elegant Blast (Blackfriars)
Very much a Scenic Lodge product out of a classy mare who “did a great job for us,” she is “not your early sort of runner but she is a good sized, very athletic type who is the best of our fillies This is a family we have done really well with - and one which has alway done so well with the Scenic line… she is a ¾ sister to Universal Prince’s stakes winner Red Blast from the family of one of Scenic’s best in Scenic Blast ”
Lot 179 bay colt Universal RulerTranquility (Redoute’s Choice)
“He is our stand-out colt - just an outstanding individual, a big, strong, impressive colt out of a wonderful race mare ” And a horse with a most interesting pedigree with his three strains of the high class broodmare Dancing Show - her sons Hurricane Sky (Universal Ruler’s dam sire) and Umatilla and her grandson Redoute’s Choice
Lot 193 chestnut colt Snippetson - Zany Lady (Zeditave)
A full brother to - and “a similar type to” - the multiple city winner Spin The Knife and a half to another five smart winners (29 wins between them), he is “a typical Snippetsonreally strong boned, an early type who is big and flashy ”
Lot 344 bay colt Snippetson - True Storm (Hurricane Sky)
“He is the son of a fast race mare and they are all pretty quick through this family including last season’s stakes winner Buzzoom He is a big, imposing colt - very impressive ”
“Our draft is not as big as it has been in the past,” Jeremy said, noting that with just the one stallion they are concentrating more on quality than numbers whilst still on the lookout for another suitable horse
Though they are hard to find these days“we would not stand just any horse,” he said, “and it is very difficult to get the right sort of stallion these days with the top end of the market being as strong as it is ” But a farm with the superlative record of Scenic Lodge - and one which continues to garner loyal client support - there are bound to still be big days and achievements ahead; watch this space!
