When Mick Dittman won the 1979 AJC Apollo Stakes on Scomeld, the champion jockey declared the stunning chestnut filly better than Denise's Joy.
It was the fourth leg of five consecutive wins for the 3-year-old filly, which began the previous spring in the Wakeful Stakes and VRC Oaks. In Sydney for the autumn, Scomeld added the Frederick Clissold Hcp before the Apollo Stakes and kept the running going in the Silver Sharp Stakes.
Bred by Lyndhurst Stud, Scomeld had proved herself the best of her generation at two in Queensland with four wins and two seconds from six starts, bookending the season with success in the C.E. McDougall Stakes and Marlboro Stakes (JJ Atkins).
Trained by Roy Dawson, Scomeld was owned by John Needham, who shelled out $40,000 after her third start.
It all got a bit harder for Scomeld after the Silver Sharp, finishing fifth in the Canterbury Guineas won by Red Nose, third in the Rosehill Guineas to Dulcify, unplaced in the Tancred Stakes won by Shivaree and ended the season when disappointing behind Valley Of Georgia in the AJC Oaks.
The following season, Scomeld added the Theo Marks Stakes and Queen Of The Turf Stakes, retiring with twelve wins and five places from 28 starts.
There's a real Lyndhurst Stud flavour to the pedigree of Scomeld, a daughter of the Tatt's QLD Recognition Stakes and BATC Bernborough Handicap winner Scotian, a son of Lyndhurst Stud's foundation stallion Smokey Eyes.
Scomeld's dam Supreme Meld was the daughter of another Lyndhurst resident, Lysander.
Scomeld did not set the world on fire at stud. Of her seven foals, three reached the track with two winners. Clearly, the best was Scollata (Rancher), who won the Group III STC Sweet Embrace Stakes and Listed VATC Mercedes-Benz Stakes and was third in the Group 1 Australasian Oaks.
Scollata's sister Mink Stole is the dam of Listed winner Ranch Heiress, and her half-sister Thrill (Bellotto) is the dam of the Canny Lad filly Merrier, who won at Moonee Valley and Seymour.
Merrier is the dam of the classy Denman mare Merriest, winner of the Listed MVRC Atlantic Jewel Stakes, and the Bel Esprit mare Festivity.
Newhaven Park Stud consigned Festivity to the 2013 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, where she was a $55,000 purchase for Star Thoroughbreds.
Trained by Gai Waterhouse, Festivity won three and was runner-up twice in a career restricted to six starts, all on metropolitan tracks in Sydney.
At her first season at stud, Festivity was covered by Winning Rupert, and the subsequent filly foal was a $200,000 buy for James Bester Bloodstock/Vantage Thoroughbreds from the Newgate draft at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Named Semana, the daughter of Winning Rupert made a winning debut for Ciaron Maher and David Eustice on a heavy track in a 3-year-old maiden at Muswellbrook on November 1 2022.
She raced consistently, but there was no hurry to test her in stakes grade. That came twelve starts into her career when fifth in the Listed Winter Challenge in July 2023. Two starts later, she landed the $1,000,000 Magic Millions Cup (RL) at the Gold Coast before adding the Group III Triscay Stakes at Randwick.
Although she has not won in five starts since, Semana finished second to Zougotcha in the Group 1 Coolomore Classic, third behind the same mare in the Group 1 Queen Of The Turf stakes, second to Bella Nipotina in the Group 1 Tattersall's Tiara at Eagle Farm, before returning from an eight-week break to finish a close-up fourth in the Group 1 Winx Stakes won by Via Sistina(IRE).
Semana has accepted for Saturday's Group II Racing And Sports Golden Pendant (1400m) at Rosehill.
With seven wins and eight placings from 20 starts, the 5-year-old daughter of Winning Rupert has banked over $1.5 million.
Part-owned by the big hitter David Warner, Semana deserves more than a Group III on her resume.
Her dam Festivity was an $85,000 buy for Lime Country Thoroughbreds at the 2023 Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale. She produced a Farnan colt for them last spring and foaled a filly by the Golden Slipper winner on September 18.
