Like all good studmasters, Durham Lodge owner David Smith retained a number of fillies by his former champion sire Scenic.

Scenic, who died in March 2005, has been the most successful son of Sadler’s Wells in this part of the world and his daughters have left a legacy of Group winners the calibre of Niconero and Nicconi, Von Costa de Hero, Gabbidon and Lazer Sharp.

In the last week, Smith and his wife Rita have won races with the well-bred mares Battle Scene and Universal Reigns and they will eventually become part of a select group of Scenic mares at their Muchea based nursery.

Battle Scene (4m Scenic – Victory Rose by Victory Prince) broke her maiden at Kalgoorlie last Sunday and that win is certainly a plus for her pedigree page which already includes her three-quarter brothers Count Scenario and Dashing Scene.

They both struck at Group 3 level to join the Scenic black-type club that, to date, numbers 69 stakes winners world-wide.

Count Scenario won the G3 Grafton Cup and another 6 city races in Sydney and Brisbane while Dashing Scene was a G3 winner of the STC Kingston Town Stakes at Rosehill.

Universal Reigns (5m Scenic – Golden Reign by Twenty Four Karat) won her second race for the Smiths at Belmont Park on Wednesday after coming with a well-timed run under Steve Parnham.  

She is also closely related to a couple of outstanding sons of Scenic.  Her dam is a half-sister to Listed Qld Tatt’s Recognition Stakes winner Zephyr Isle (Zephyr Zip) and Blooms (Biscay) who found dame as the dam of G1 Victoria Derby winner Blevic (Scenic).  He is now a successful sire in his own right based at Kambula Stud in South Australia.

Blooms is also the second dam of G1 AJC Australian Derby winner Universal Prince (Scenic) and his sister Universal Queen who was a G1 winner of the SAJC Robert Sangster Stakes.

Universal Prince was formerly based in NSW before transferring to Durham Lodge and he is now getting a proper opportunity at stud.

The Smiths will have the Scenic sireline stitched up in Western Australia next year when Universal Ruler joins their Muchea roster.  A Group 3 winner of the Belmont Sprint in June, he will be set for feature sprints this season before retiring to stud in 2010.

Universal Ruler is by Scenic out of a daughter of G1 AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Rhythmic Charm and was sold in the same Durham draft as champion sprinter Scenic Blast at the 2006 Perth Magic Millions yearling sale.