Blackfriars made the best possible start to the New Year with a winning treble at Bunbury on Sunday.

Sunspeed’s reigning champion sire was represented by the first-time winners Black Magic Miss, Princess Finale and Rohan.

It followed a December to remember for the Durham Lodge stallion who sired 13 winners during the month.

He started in style with WA Horse of the Year Playing God winning the G1 Kingston Town Classic on December 3 and his older brother God Has Spoken added a G2 in the C B Cox Stakes on December 17.

Blackfriars finished the festive season on a high when Rosie Rocket claimed the LR La Trice Classic at Ascot on New Year’s Eve.  The Justin Warwick trained mare was coming off a LR victory in the Starstruck Stakes on December 17.

Warwick made his name as a trotting trainer-driver and he has guided Rosie Rocket to Perth’s top tier from a Pinjarra maiden win in March 2011.  “I’m really proud of her,” Warwick said.  “We didn’t even have a single thoroughbred in the stables this time last year.”

Rosie Rocket is a homebred for Kintore Stud owner Alan Young.  Durham sold her dam Rose For Jodi to Young for $4,750 at the 2006 Perth Magic Millions May Sale.

After foaling the La Trice winner, Young on-sold Rose For Jodi to Hillary Williams for $1,300 at the 2007 Perth Magic Million April Sale but the mare died the following year.

Blackfriars (Danehill) has established a sizeable advantage among active sires for his second Western Australian premiership in 2011-12.  There have 33 winners of 48 races for earnings of $1.89 million in Australia so far this season.

Blackfriars has a draft of 29 yearlings entered for the 2012 Perth Magic Millions in February including 23 from Durham Lodge.