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Ms Catherine provides Shooting To Win with milestone in Typhoon Tracy

Shooting To Win (Northern Meteor), to date upstaged at stud by his brother Deep Field, last night registered an important stakes winner after the progressive Henry Dwyer-trained filly Ms Catherine scored an all-the-way victory in the Typhoon Tracy Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) at Moonee Valley.

Now unbeaten in three starts, Ms Catherine scored a dominant win at Bendigo in November before resuming at Moonee Valley two weeks ago where she put four and a half lengths on her rivals in Benchmark 74 Handicap (1000m) grade.

Last night, with Dwyer’s apprentice Georgie Cartwright maintaining her association with the homebred filly, Ms Catherine was sent straight to the lead before holding on by a neck.

Godolphin’s filly Tenley (Medaglia d’Oro) was second, with Don’ttelltheboss (Street Boss) another three quarters of a length back in third. 

The favourite Sassy Salitage (Toronado), who was first-up in last night’s $160,000 Group 3 race, ran fourth.

Dwyer admitted it was hard to line up Ms Catherine’s restricted form against her rivals in the three-year-old fillies race.

“When they win two from two at this time of year, you’ve got to throw them in the deep end, particularly with fillies,” Dwyer told Racing.com postrace. 

“Tony and Joe (Bongiorno) own several fillies in the family, so it’s good for all the fillies, not just Ms Catherine and the dam Lucky Diva and everything.

“There was some question mark at 1200 but Georgie gave her a couple of cheap sectionals mid-race and she kicked on late.”

Ms Catherine could be given a short break before possibly being sent to Adelaide for the Euclase Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) at Morphettville during the autumn.

“We always liked her but it is always very hard to get a gauge off a maiden and a Friday night win,” said Dwyer, who will soon move his main training base from Caulfield to Ballarat. “She puts herself in front, she did everything right tonight and Georgie gave her a great ride, so I am really pleased.”

Mature-age jockey Cartwright is apprenticed to Dwyer and the trainer reserved praise for his rider. 

“I am very proud of her, to be honest, as she’s done it the tough way,” he said. 

“She has been an apprentice for a long time and she comes to the end of it at the end of the year. 

“I’d have loved to have given her more opportunities than I have, but sometimes it’s not the easiest sell, a female apprentice. Tony and Joe Bongiorno, who own (Ms Catherine), gave Georgie the green light and were happy for her to stay with the horse.”

The majority of Dwyer’s staff were at Moonee Valley last night to support Cartwright in her bid to win her first stakes race.

“It is the most amazing feeling – it’s my biggest career win so far. It makes all the hard work worth it,” Cartwright said.

“She flies the gate and does everything right. She probably doesn’t want any more than 1200 but she was too good tonight.”

Ms Catherines sire, the Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Shooting To Win, went to stud at Darley in 2015, the same year as his Group 2-winning sibling Deep Field at Newgate Farm, but covered significantly fewer mares than his brother.

In 2019, however, breeders responded to the the promising signs shown by Shooting To Win’s first crop two-year-olds, with the former Peter and Paul Snowden-trained horse covering 177 mares, the most he has served in his five years at stud.

Shooting To Win is also the sire of the Chris Waller-trained Kubrick, runner-up in last year’s J J Atkins Plate (Gr 1, 1600m) and inaugural winner of the $1 million Bondi Stakes (1600m), as well as the stakes-placed juvenile Shotmaker.

Meanwhile, the Tony and Joe Bongiorno-bred Ms Catherine (3 f Shooting To Win – Lucky Diva by Perugino), who was withdrawn from the 2018 Magic MIllions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, has earned $136,150 in her short career so far.

Ms Catherine is the first stakes winner and one of five who have been successful on the track for her dam, the Group 3 winner Lucky Diva, who in turn is a sister to Listed winner Gina Lollawitcha and a half-sister to stakes winners Spirit Of Westbury (Sir Tristram) and Duke Of Westbury (Sir Tristram).

Lucky Diva has a yearling sister to Ms Catherine and was covered by Deep Field last November while the Typhoon Tracy winner’s older half-sister Ms Rodarte (I Am Invincible) retired to stud last year and was covered by Arrowfield Stud first season shuttler Real Steel (Deep Impact).

Rock On Rhianna (Fastnet Rock), another half-sister, also visited Deep Field this season.

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