On the
last day of the Australian racing season the only first season sire to post a
winner was Darley's Caulfield Guineas hero Shooting to Win and he did it in
style with a debut winner at Belmont in Perth.
The Simon Miller trained filly Platinum Bullet led all the way to win over 1200
metres by a long neck in a speedy and tenacious effort.
A $200,000 Magic Millions purchase from the Three Bridges Thoroughbreds draft
for well known WA owners Barry & Jan McRostie, Platinum Bullet was bred by
Three Bridges in partnership and is a half-sister to stakes-placed Mujallad and
Tarismo.
She is the fourth winner from four foals to race from stakes-winning Pins mare
Raid, a full sister to the dam of dual Group I winner Stratum Star. Raid is a
great grand-daughter of legendary champion mare Emancipation, who has passed
her grey colouring right down the line to many of her descendants.
Shooting to Win might have finished the season without a stakes-winner, but he
does have a very exciting Group I place-getter in Kubrick, another Group III
placed horse in Shotmaker as well as a further six metropolitan winners so you
would have to say he's a young sire with plenty of irons in the fire that could
easily prove a real dark horse as the spring unfolds.
It's worth taking a good look at his race record to see just what the future might
hold for Shooting to Win.
He won two minor races at Kembla and Canterbury at his only starts at two in
May and June and by the end of the spring had won not only the Group II ATC
Stan Fox Stakes, but also the Group I MRC Caulfield Guineas.
It will be no surprise to anyone if by the end of the year Shooting to Win is
not right up there with the very best of the second season sires and priced at
$22,000 this spring is probably one of the best 'punt horses' in the Hunter
Valley.