Knight notches more black-type for Blackfriars

Perth owner-breeder Bob Peters celebrated a career-best afternoon with four stakes winners at Ascot on Saturday.

Blackfriars was the only Sunspeed-based stallion to provide a winner among the quartet when Shining Knight claimed the LR Crawford Stakes (1000m).  The Grant Williams trained gelding had notched his first black-type success in the LR Colonel Reeves Stakes last month.

Peters also won the LR WA St Leger with Real Love (Desert King), LR Starstruck Classic with Real Charm (Reset) and G2 Cox Stakes with Elite Belle (Canny Lad).

Shining Knight led home a Blackfriars quinella with a half-length to spare over Black Heart Bart who was aiming for a winning hat-trick.  “It was a good win with 59kg and I thought 1000 metres may have been a problem, too,” Peters said.  “The small field helped and he was a bit closer to the leaders this time.”

The Crawford Stakes is the middle-leg of three 1000m races scheduled by Perth Racing at the summer carnival.  Shining Knight had finished fourth in the Thunderbolt Stakes on December 6 and the final race of the series is the LR Summer Scorcher on January 1.

Peters has banked over $465,000 since the gelding won his maiden on debut at Belmont in October 2011.  Champion Scenic Lodge stallion got him from Cool Business who died March 2011.

Cool Business foaled six winners from as many to the races – Shining Knight, Hot Business (Zedrich), Intimidator (Flying Spur), Star Trader (Flying Spur), Southern Princess (Southern Image) and Dreamalong (Southern Image).