Ending his Autumn campaign with three consecutive Listed victories, two-year-old Spirit Of Boom colt Shining Smile resumed from a spell on Saturday, winning the $150,000 VRC Member Sarah Hart Trophy (1000m).
Extending his winning run to five on the trot after placing in his initial two starts, the Ben, Will and JD Hayes trained colt started the favourite in the field of nine, ahead of Ciaron Maher’s Oyster Lane (Blue Point) who was having his second start off the back of a narrow second on debut just three weeks prior.
Apprentice jockey Logan Bates did his best to retrain the colt after the good getaway from the barriers, settling in second behind Gavin Bedggood’s Yamashita’s Gold (Wootton Bassett).
When the runs started to come 200m from home, Shining Smile was challenging down the outside, while Oyster Lane was looking a threat along the inside of the pack.
Urged along hands and heels by Bates, Shining Smile, who carried 3.5kgs more than his nearest rival, got there in the last few bounds to defeat Oyster Lane with a narrow margin back to Bold Secret (Brazen Beau) in third.
With the form around his win in the Listed Talindert Stakes dead heat win with Godolphin’s Tentyris (Street Boss) proving strong with that colt going on to finish second in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes before winning the Group 2 Todman Stakes, while the third placed Talindert runner Brave Design (Brave Smash) went to Queensland and recorded his own stakes victory, it's surely exciting times ahead for the winner.
Having an affiliation with the Flemington straight track an asset heading into his 3yo spring campaign, the stable surely have some future stakes races on his agenda.
He’s done a great job today,” Ben Hayes said.
“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.”
“This will tick him off beautifully to head to those really good early three-year-old races like the Vain.”
“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.”
Becoming the 29th two-year-old win this season for the Hayes brothers, Shining Smile was a $160,000 Magic Millions Weanling purchase for Boomer Bloodstock from the draft of Robyn Wise.
Taking his earnings $485,250 from his seven starts to date, Shinning Smile was bred by multiple Group 1-winning jockey Scott Seamer.
Shining Smile is one of four winners from six to the races out of the Canny Lad mare Nataya, herself an unraced half-sister to stakes-placed Gold Anthem, the dam of Champion Sprinter and Group 1 sire Starspangledbanner and grand-dam of Group 1 winner Amicus.
The yearling colt by Zousain from Nataya Rose sold for $80,000 at Inglis Classic to YLP Racing and she has a colt to follow by Profiteer and was covered by Pinatubo (IRE) last spring.
Shining Smile is one of nine two-year-old winners this season for Eureka Stud’s Spirit Of Boom, who will stand the upcoming season at a fee of $38,500 (inc. GST).
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