Lindsay Park all smiles at Sandown
Shining Smile (Spirit Of Boom) provided a northern flavour to a major success in the south by storming to victory in Saturday’s males’ Blue Diamond Preview (Listed, 1000m) at Sandown.
The strapping colt made it two wins, back-to-back, from four starts in scoring by 1.75 lengths as a raging $1.65 favourite in a six-horse field.
And in so doing, he continued a stellar season – and weekend – for his famed Queensland sire Spirit Of Boom (Sequalo), and brought a stakes success for his breeder, none other than Caulfield Cup (Gr 1, 2400m) and Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m)-winning jockey Scott Seamer.
Seamer, who won the Cups double in 2001 aboard Ethereal (Rhythm), hails from northern NSW but was based in Brisbane for many years when riding.
He not only bred the Team Hayes-trained Shining Smile – a $160,000 purchase for Boomer Bloodstock (FBAA) from the Robyn Wise draft at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Weanling Sale – but his unraced dam Nataya Rose (Canny Lad) as well.
Seamer now has a half-brother to Shining Smile by Widden Stud’s Zousain (Zoustar) entered for next month’s Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, as Lot 470, again from Wise’s draft.
Shining Smile kicked off with a 0.4–length second in Flemington’s Maribyrnong Trial Stakes (Listed, 1000m), before being beaten a length for third in the Maribyrnong Plate (Gr 3, 1000m). He broke through with a 0.5–length victory at Caulfield Heath in a 1000-metre juvenile handicap, before resuming from a nine-week let-up on Saturday.
Piloted by regular rider Daniel Stackhouse, the colt was slightly slow away before mustering professionally along the fence. He took the lead without a great deal of urging at the 300 metres, and pushed out inside the furlong, came away to win authoritatively.
Surging Coolmore shuttler Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj) gained yet another positive result from his first Australian crop when the Gavin Bedggood-trained Yamashita’s Gold took second, ahead of fellow debutant, Reece Goodwin’s Bermondsey (Hanseatic) a further 0.3 lengths back in third.
“He didn’t over race after he missed the start, which can sometimes happen when babies miss the start, and he went through his gears. He’s the ultimate professional,” Ben Hayes told Racing.com.
The co-trainer added the Blue Diamond Prelude (Gr 3, 1100m) at Caulfield on February 8 would likely be the next step for Shining Smile towards the $2 million Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) two weeks later.
“We will look at the Blue Diamond Prelude as it’s the tried-and-true way of getting there [to the Blue Diamond]. I’ll see how he pulls up first,” he said.
“It was a really small field today with a heap of horses on debut, so we’ll get a better idea of how that race actually was over the next couple weeks when those horses come out and run again, but he’s done everything right.
“He’s right on track and he’s an ultimate professional.”
Stackhouse said Shining Smile felt stronger than before on Saturday and was fidgeting in the starting gates, hence his slow beginning.
“He then gathered himself up to travel behind the speed. He has strengthened up mentally and physically and he used his race experience,” Stackhouse said.
Shining Smile extended a superb season for Eureka Stud’s Spirit Of Boom.
The 17-year-old tops the country’s juvenile sires’ table by winners and wins, with six and eight respectively, ahead of Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice), who sits second with five in both categories. Spirit Of Boom began Saturday placed fourth on that table by earnings.
Shining Smile’s (2 c Spirit Of Boom – Nataya Rose by Canny Lad) Sandown success was Spirit Of Boom’s second stakes win of the season – and in 18 hours – after Golden Boom took Friday’s night’s Goldmarket Handicap (Listed, 1100m) at the Gold Coast for Tony Gollan.
He is the best of seven named foals for Nataya Rose, who’s a half-sister to the dam of former Champion sprinter in Australia and Europe, and later successful sire, Starspangledbanner (Choisir).
After her Zousain colt, Nataya Rose now has a weanling son by Newgate Farm’s Profiteer (Capitalist), and was covered by Darley shuttler Pinatubo (Shamardal) last spring.