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Hall gives owners another win

Peter Hall continued his winning streak with WA’s premier owner-breeders Bob and Sandra Peters when Shining Knight broke the 1400m benchmark with a style in today’s Belmont Sprint.

With stable jockey William Pike on the bench because of a dislocated shoulder, Hall has carried the cerise and white colours with aplomb winning the Group 1 double of the Australasian Oaks and SA Derby on Delicacy earlier this month.

Hall was steering Shining Knight for the second time this preparation when the six-year-old sprinted past the fighting duo of Dawn Approach ($3.30, $5, $4.60) and Fuchsia Bandana ($2.20, $1.80 fav) to score a ½ length win in the $150,000 Group 3 Sprint.

It was the breakthrough run for Shining Knight after two placings at his previous two starts over the trip.

Shining Knight had put the writing on the wall when he stormed home to snatch fifth place behind weight-for-age champ Luckygray in last Saturday week’s Roma Cup (1200m).

Luckygray was the red hot $2.70 favourite to win the Belmont Sprint, but was scratched on Thursday afternoon when trainer Trevor Andrews discovered the horse was lame in his yard.

Luckygray suffered an abscess to his offs-side front hoof and was treated with an anti-inflammatory and a poultice.

Trainer Grant Williams will stretch out Shining Knight to the 1600m trip of next Saturday week’s $150,000 Strickland Stakes.

The gelding is a son of Blackfriars but his dam Cool Business was a noted short-course specialist.

“The way he finished off his race today he looks like he will run the trip,” Bob Peters said. “He has done a great job for us and with those two going strong in front the race was run to suit him.

“I was quite pleased when I saw Fuchsia Bandana and Dawn Approach out in front because most of the races they had been slowing down and stacking them up, which made it hard for horses coming from behind.

Shining Knight eased from $5.50 to $9 before punters laid into him with bookmakers firming him into $7.50.

Apprentice Jordan Turner started the day on a high when he rode a race-to-race double on Virtual Trader and Saxy Grace in the third and fourth races.

Apprentices Lucy Warwick and Kate Witten gave junior riders the upper hand continuing the run winning on Wink And A Nod (fifth race) and Civil Rights (sixth).

Colleague Jerry Noske kick started the streak for junior riders when she booted home Flying Roar to beat Fuld's Bet and Furious Dame in the second race.