Blackfriars Shines in Colonel Reeves

First-up specialist Shining Knight gave champion sire Blackfriars his 27th stakes winner in the G3 Colonel Reeves Stakes (1100m) at Ascot on Tuesday.

Shining Knight (6g Blackfriars – Cool Business by Key Business) pushed out of a pocket turning for home and sprinted clear for a one length victory over Testamezzo (Testa Rossa). Owner-breeder Bob Peters was winning the Colonel Reeves for a third time following Avante (Hurricane Sky) and Lady Belvedere (Royal Academy).

“It’s nice to win this race again – he’s been close up in some big races and the blinkers sharpened him up today,” Peters said. “The Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes is next.”

Shining Knight has won 5 races in 15 starts for $330,000 in prizemoney. His younger half-sister Dreamalong (Southern Image) also won on Ascot’s Melbourne Cup day program for Scenic Lodge owner David Smith.

Their dam Cool Business was a Listed winner of the 2002 Bolton Sprint but she died March 2011.

Blackfriars (Danehill) stands at Scenic Lodge for a $17,600 (inc gst) fee and he has sired 28 individual winners for earnings of $971,860 since August 1. He holds a commanding lead for a fifth Sunspeed premiership over Oratorio (Aus) and Danehill Express.