Champion WA Stallion Blackfriars Dead at 21

Mark Smith - Saturday December 23

Perennial champion Western Australian stallion Blackfriars has been euthanised at the age of 21 after breaking a leg.

The son of Danehill underwent surgery for colic and broke a leg when getting up.

"I'm absolutely shattered," Scenic Lodge general manager Jeremy Smith told the West Australian.

"It was a straightforward colic operation and he went to get up and broke his leg. We had no option but to put him down.

Advertisement

"He was a beautiful horse and was still at the top of his game.

"He had just covered 90 mares this spring."


The champion sire in the west for the past seven seasons, Blackfriars was bred by Swettenham Stud and carried the colours of the late Robert Sangster to victory over Shogun Lodge and Diatribe in the 1999 Victoria Derby before retiring to Scenic Lodge.

He covered his first book of 81 mares in 2001 at a fee of $7,700, which rose to as high as $22,000 in 2013.

His two best horses Black Heart Bart and Playing God were born four years apart.

Playing God won consecutive runnings of the Group 1 Kingston Town Stakes in 2010 and 2011. Playing God's first crop of 2yo's hit the track this season.

The gelded Black Heart Bart has five Group 1 wins to his credit to date while banking a tick under $4 million.

Blackfriars has sired 36 stakes winners to date and produced his 400th individual winner last week.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Black Heart Bart Turns Back The Clock
The Western Australians haven't exactly endeared themselves to punters in Victoria in recent weeks and little changed at Caulfield on Sunday.
Juvenile Trial Watch – Randwick
Trial action was at Randwick on Friday and there were six heats for juveniles that included some interesting unraced youngsters highlighted by the full brother to a promising young sire, a well bred son of Farnan and an Extreme Choice filly.
$190,000 Per Incanto Colt Heads Vibrant Weanling Sale
The  2025 National Weanling Sale saw its first dual-code weanling session in play at Karaka, with a total aggregate of $2,410,000 outlaid across 84 lots by a strong domestic buying bench plus international support from Australia, Hong Kong and China.
Blackfriars Wins Seventh Champion WA Sires Title
It was fitting that Blackfriars gelding Foxinator landed the last race of the Western Australian season at Kalgoorlie on Sunday.
First Winner for Australian Derby Winner Levendi
Blueblood Pierro colt Levendi won the Group I ATC Australian Derby for the Gelagotis stable back in 2018 and is now on the board as a sire having produced his first winner on Friday.
Vinery Stud Announce Adam White as Interim Manager
From the 1st of July, Vinery Stud is pleased to announce the appointment of Adam White as Interim General Manager, following the resignation of Peter Orton. A dedicated and long-standing member of the Vinery team, Adam brings a wealth of experience and an in-depth understanding of both the business and the industry to this pivotal role.
WA Breds Strike Again as Waller Sweeps the Group Ones
Former Western Australians have been in red-hot form of late and quite often have been a dagger to the heart of punters but the Blackfriars gelding Come Play With Me had a legion of supporters to give Chris Waller a clean sweep of the day’s four Group 1 races in The Metropolitan (2600m) at Randwick and he didn’t disappoint.
National Online Breeding Stock Sale online now
The National Online Breeding Stock Sale has launched on Gavelhouse Plus with bidding open on the 87 Lots sale which is set to end from 7pm on Wednesday 9th July.
Red Right Out Wins MM Queensland Qualifier
The 2026 Pacific Fair Magic Millions Polo & Showjumping will feature the third annual Queensland Off-The-Track Cup (QOTT) final on Sunday, 11 January 2026 at Doug Jennings Park on the Gold Coast. 
Sires With Winners - Friday June 27
Here is the full list of 48 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.