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Piper youngsters shine on debut

Former Perth Racing vice-chairman Lex Piper came within a whisker of landing a race double at Belmont Park yesterday.

Piper's first-starter Seeker ($17.40) upset his more fancied rivals when he scored in the first event and in the very next race the Piper-owned Sky Kick ($20), also having her first start, failed by a short-head to reel in Ideal Image ($3).

Ironically, it was former PR chairman Bob Peters who prevented Piper grabbing the double.

Ideal Image, owned by Peters, had a tough run when caught four deep in the 1000m scamper.

Ideal Image, also having her first race start, hit the front at the 150m and appeared to have the race in her keeping, before Sky Kick came with a late charge to just fail to overhaul her.

Seeker gave Piper a flying start to the card when he rattled home to comfortably beat Ripper Red and Megafactory in the colts and geldings division of the Westspeed.

Seeker, by Mungrup Stud's leading stallion Oratorio from Kenkala, was well backed with on-course bookmakers, while a plunge on Ripper Red ($12 to $6) misfired. The easing favourite Chengdu ($3.50) faded to fifth after hitting the front at the 250m.

"He's always been a good-looking horse," Piper said of Seeker.

"Dan Morton saw him at Queenslea Park and asked if he could have him to train but I had promised him to Dion (Luciani).

"The mare's dam Geigerita goes all right having produced Geiger Rio and Cuanzo, but she is dead now.

"The Kenvain mares have been disappointing and we were just about to give her away, but we may hang on to her now."

Peters has long been a fan of Ideal Image's sire More Than Ready, who sired a city treble yesterday with his Canterbury debut winners Eyre and This Is Australia.