‘He’s arguably the best-performed two-year-old of the year’
Co-trainer Ben Hayes declared Shining Smile (Spirit Of Boom) had made a case for regard as Australia’s best-performed two-year-old of the season after the durable colt brought up his fifth victory on Saturday at Flemington.
Marhoona (Snitzel) might have won the Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) as one of her two wins, and Devil Night (Extreme Choice) took the Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) as his only win in three starts.
But Shining Smile has now won his past five of seven – including three Melbourne Listeds in the autumn after being placed in that class and at Group 3 level in his first two starts.
On Saturday, he resumed impressively under handicap conditions, taking the VRC Member Sarah Hart Trophy (1000m) under 59.5 kilograms while giving between 3.5 kilograms and 5.5 kilograms to his eight rivals.
Ridden by three-kilogram claimer Logan Bates and sent out a $3 favourite, Shining Smile settled on the neck of leader Yamashita’s Gold (Wootton Bassett) under a middling early pace, before surging powerfully to the lead as the speed quickened inside the 400 metres.
Fellow colt and $3.50 second-elect Oyster Lane (Blue Point), Ciaron Maher’s third-starter under 55.5 kilograms, emerged along the rail to put up a contest over a tense final 200 metres, but Shining Smile gripped on tenaciously to score by 0.2 lengths. Phillip Stokes’s Bold Secret (Brazen Beau) took third in a market trifecta as $4.80 third favourite, a further 0.7 lengths back.
Queensland colt Cool Archie (Cool Aza Beel) could put up an argument against that mounted by Hayes for Shining Smile, having also won five on the bounce including three Brisbane stakes races – two Group 2s and the elite JJ Atkins (Gr 1, 1600m).
But Hayes made clear at Flemington he wouldn’t swap his colt for any juvenile in the land.
“He’s done a great job today,” Hayes said of Shining Smile, who was bred by retired Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m)–winning jockey Scott Seamer.
“To give weight to all his competition like he did and be as tough as he was through the line was very exciting.
“He’s arguably the best-performed two-year-old of the year, albeit not in the big races – he’s won three stakes races.
“He’s a tough horse and he loves a fight. We’re really looking forward to seeing what he’s got.”
Although he’s resumed early with this mid-July appearance, the son of star Queensland sire Spirit Of Boom (Sequalo) will be set for spring three-year-old highlights, likely including the stallion-making Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) on November 1 also up the Flemington straight, where he’s now won three times.
With Shining Smile’s races this campaign likely to be well spaced, his next assignment could be the Vain Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) at Caulfield on August 16.
“This will tick him off beautifully to head to those really good early three-year-old races like the Vain,” Hayes said.
“He’s got a pretty good record down the straight, so he could be a horse we have for a race like the Coolmore – he’s got to be right in a race like that.”
Shining Smile has been one of the leading lights in another strong season for Spirit Of Boom. Eureka Stud’s flagbearer is 12th on the nation’s two-year-old sires’ table by earnings and winners, but with his best performer Shining Smile helping out with multiple victories, the stallion is equal-third on the score of juvenile wins, with 17.
The rising 18-year-old Spirit Of Boom sits 19th on the Australian general sires’ table – equal with his finishing position last year.
Shining Smile (2 c Spirit Of Boom – Nataya Rose by Canny Lad) is the seventh and best foal of unraced mare Nataya Rose (Canny Lad), a half-sister to the stakes–placed Gold Anthem (Made Of Gold), who achieved lasting fame as the dam of dual hemisphere Group 1 hero and current successful sire Starspangeledbanner (Choisir).
Nataya Rose’s colt by Zousain (Zoustar) was bought by Yulong from Robyn Wise’s Inglis Classic Yearling Sale draft this year for $80,000. The mare now has a weanling colt by Profiteer (Capitalist) and was covered last spring by Darley’s Pinatubo (Shamardal).