After winning two of his last three starts and being unlucky in the other, three-year-old Lonhro gelding Scarf scored a narrow win in the Listed Winter Stakes at Rosehill to give Lonhro his 14th Stakes winner of the season.
Sitting behind the leader, the multiple G1 winner Sniper's Bullet, jockey Kerrin McEvoy pulled the grey from behind the leader as the field rounded the home turn. Holding off the late challenge of the Gai Waterhouse-trained Devils Arcade, Scarf’s victory was his sixth win from eleven starts.
Bred by Woodlands Stud, Scarf is out of the Grand Lodge mare Muffle, a half-sister to the Stakes placed Lament (dam of Listed winner Jeremaid) as well as Stutter, the dam of fellow Lonhro Stakes winner Dysphonia. Muffle has a rising yearling by Darley first-season sire Ad Valorem, the sire of seven juvenile winners so far this season.
Having recorded two new Stakes winners in the last few days, Lonhro has now achieved more individual Stakes winners this season than any other sire, as well as being a clear leader on the General Sires’ table, some $1.2 million in front of his nearest rival.
To put into perspective the achievement of Lonhro as the soon to be crowned Champion sire, the 11-time G1 winner joins Danehill and Sir Tristram as stallions who were crowned Champion sire just seven years after retiring to stud.
The sire of 27 individual Stakes winners to date, Lonhro is the sire of G1 winners Beaded, Denman and Benfica, G2 winners Parables, O’Lonhro and Obsequious as well as G3 winners Trim, Deer Valley and Demerit. Standing the forthcoming breeding season at Darley Kelvinside at a fee of $77,000 (inc GST), the Champion sire elect is sure to once again prove extremely popular.
