Victorian stud Summer Lodge has reported the death of its Seattle Slew sire White Bridle.  He was 27.

A younger half-brother to champion sire Dynaformer, he stood at the Casterton based property owned by local vet Arthur Young and his wife Moira.

“White Bridle was the kindest horse and it was a sad day when we had to put him down,” Moira Young said this week.  “He came to us after standing with Bob and Ivy Hawkes at Tolka Stud.”

Originally brought out here by Middlebrook Valley Lodge in Scone, White Bridle has sired 77 winners of 281 races highlighted by stakes winners Bridleman (G2 AJC St Leger) and McJoey (LR Darwin Cup).

Summer Lodge is also home to Real Jester who stands for a $1,760 (inc gst) fee.  He is from a sireline familiar to Arthur Young going back through Rory’s Jester, Crown Jester, Baguette and Rego.

Young cut his teeth as a young vet at Carl Powell’s Brooklyn Lodge in the Hunter Valley when Rego was in his prime.  He sired brilliant filly Wiggle who was trained by Ron Shirtliff to win the 1958 Stradbroke Hcp as a two year-old.  She came back in the spring to claim the Caulfield Guineas and was later exported to North America.

Rego (Nasrullah) clicked with the Tait family’s champion broodmare Dark Jewel to produce champion colt Baguette and the stakes winning fillies Heirloom and Birthright.

– Karl Patterson