Shooting To Win marked the anniversary of his career-high Caulfield Guineas victory on Saturday by siring another black-type winner back at The Heath while working through his first book at Yarradale Stud.

“Shooting To Win settled in here straight away,” Yarradale manager Davy Hanratty said.  “The response from broodmare owners has been overwhelming and he makes it easier being a joy to handle in the barn.”

The Trevor Andrews-trained Firearm was the first locally-bred Shooting To Win 2yo to debut in WA on Saturday and he didn’t disappoint despite finishing midfield in the Initial Plate (1100m) at Ascot.  Stewards reported Firearm was ‘bumped and unbalanced on jumping’ by the eventual winner All On Red (Doubtland) and that caused a concertina effect onto Tigerland (Tiger Of Malay).

“Trevor rates him very highly,” Hanratty added.  “And Willaview Park has his dam Euphonious (Oratorio) back in foal to Shooting To Win.”

Like Zoustar, Shooting To Win is a son of Northern Meteor and he won the stallion-making G1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) in 2014 defeating Rich Enuff (Written Tycoon) to give Peter and Paul Snowden their first elite-level victory as a training partnership.

It was fitting his mare She’s Bulletproof should win her second Group 3 at Caulfield when defeating Gumdrops (Written Tycoon) in the $240,000 Northwood Plume Stakes (1200m) on Saturday.  She had landed the G3 Geoffrey Bellmaine Stakes over the same course and distance in February.

She’s Bulletproof was sent forward by Ben Allen and looked comfortable in front before upping the tempo in the straight to send her earnings through $700,000 for managing part-owner and trainer Charlotte Littlefield.  “For her to win like that was amazing,” Littlefield said.  “She’s had issues so we went back to ground level and got everything sorted.

“She’s so gutsy and I’m a bit emotional.  We lost her dam Offshore Sham (Shamardal) last week. I’ve never cried after training a winner but today is that day.”

Payline can claim another Group 3 for Shooting To Win at the Caulfield Cup carnival in the $240,000 Moonga Stakes (1400m) this Saturday.

His trainer Chris Munce has carnival form going further back than Shooting To Win having ridden 2010 Caulfield Cup winner Descarado (High Chaparral) for Gai Waterhouse.  And punters with longer memories will never forget the 1998 Caulfield Cup when Munce was nearly knocked over the fence aboard Jezabeel when English cavalier Ray Cochrane threw caution to the wind on eventual winner Taufan’s Melody.

“Jeez it’s gone quick, hasn’t it,” Munce said when recalling those days in an interview this week.  “Payline was Group 1 placed in the Doomben 10,000 during the winter carnival and the Moonga Stakes will set him up for the Group 1 Darley Champions Sprint (1200m) at Flemington on November 8.”

Payline can add his name to the roll-call of 12 black-type winners by Shooting To Win during his southern sojourn.  Overall, the Yarradale resident has sired 284 individual winners of 430 races at a 66% strike-rate.

Shooting To Win and Gingerbread Man (Shamardal) stand for $5,500 fees (inc GST) at Yarradale Stud.   For all enquiries contact Davy Hanratty (0429 336 904).

Pakenham trainer Charlotte Littlefield with her Shooting To Win mare She’s Bulletproof at Caulfield / Photo: Grant Courtney