Vendors of the 15 lots by Shooting To Win catalogued for Inglis Classic Yearling Sale received a fillip when the Henry Dwyer trained filly Ms Catherine stayed perfect at two for two when she gave her rivals a thumping by upwards of four and a half lengths over 1000 metres at Moonee Valley on Friday night.
The final leg of a three-timer for Georgina Cartwright, Ms Catherine led with her ears pricked and when asked to flatten out she did so in the manner of a very good horse.
Under a minimum of urging she came clear to defeat the Toronado (IRE) filly Mariamia by four and a half lengths with the Written Tycoon filly La Zola a further three-quarter of a length back in third.
The daughter of Shooting To Win was the subject of a sustained betting plunge, firming from $7.50 to $4.40.
At her career debut on November 28, Ms Catherine ran out a comfortable length and a half winner and she took another big step here which has trainer Henry Dwyer eying off a black-type at her next start.
“She’s a pretty fast filly and she has always shown us a fair bit,” Dwyer said.
“We’ve always fought she is a blinkers horse – it’s weird to thing that a horse that goes so quick I’d put blinkers on but you see her coming around the side she pricked her ears and shied at something. She had a gallop at Caulfield on Tuesday and veered out about five horses when she got to the winning post on the course proper.
“She still has a lot more to give once there is something to go with her. I don’t know where the ceiling is but we will try and get some black-type with her.
“It’s great to train a winner in town for Tony and Joe Bongiorno who have had four generations of this family so it’s good to get a nice filly for them.
“There’s a 1200m fillies stakes race her in two weeks. Stretching out to 1200m might be a bit of a query but you’ve got to do it for a bit of black-type.”
Ms Catherine is the fifth winner from six to race out of the Bongiorno family’s crack race mare Lucky Diva whose 11 wins included the Group III MRC Hyderabad Stakes.
A daughter of Sadler's Wells and Fairy King’s three-quarter brother Perugino (USA), Lucky Diva is a sister to the Listed stakes-winner Gina Lollawitcha and a half-sister to Group III winner and Group 1 Sydney Cup third Spirit Of Westbury and Listed winner Duke Of Westbury.
Lucky Diva foaled a full-sister to Ms Catherine last spring and was bred back to Shooting To Win’s brother Deep Field.
