The Shooting To Win mare Centrefire completed a red-letter day for trainer Chris Munce when she defied a fast-finishing Maybe The Best in the Listed Kingsley Lawson Gai Waterhouse Classic (1200m) at Ipswich.
Munce had earlier won the day’s feature Ipswich Cup with Smart Meteor.
Ridden by Samantha Collett, Centrefire led them around the home turn and kept up a strong gallop along the rails to edge out the fast-finishing I Am Invincible mare Maybe The Best by a half-head. Another daughter of Shooting To Win, Majestic Shot, was a length and a quarter back in third.
“It has been a terrific day,” Munce said.
“I really thought that this mare with the one gate, before the track was the way it was, had a genuine winning chance.
“I know she won first-up on a heavy 10, but I was still a bit concerned with the pattern of racing.
“She is very fit, and Sam knows her well and rated her beautifully. She timed her run beautifully.
“For the horses that we’ve got, they’ve raced probably as well as I could possibly ask. They’ve all been happy, healthy, fit horses, and it’d be nice to get a few more like them.
“Palaisipan (Dane Ripper Stakes winner) goes to the Tatts Tiara next week. Rhapsody Rose also goes around next Saturday, and Smart Meteor will go to the Caloundra Cup.”
Collett said she was confident she was on a fit horse.
“She had a couple of runs in quick succession after her really nice win. Her runs were solid, really solid, Collett said.
“Today, she’d had a bit of a freshen up. Her work early in the week was massive. I was really happy with her.
“I had a lapful of horse most of the way, and I was keen to try and put them a little bit to the sword early in the straight because I knew I’d had a comfortable enough lead.
“I was mindful of how she was travelling around the corner in probably the worst part of the track where it has had a lot of use. I was lucky enough that she travelled through the worst of it. She got through it pretty well.”
A $100,000 purchase by her trainer from the Yarraman Stud draft at the 2018 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Centrefire advances her record to eight three three from 38 starts with earnings of $342,850.
She is the best of six winners from as many to race out of the 3-time winning Exceed And Excel mare Coco Kerringle, a half-sister to Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes winner Murjullsa Lass (Danasinga).
Coco Kerringle has a yearling filly by Santos that was a $40,000 purchase for BM Lazzarini Racing from the Toolooganvale Farm draft at the 2022 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
Coco Kerringle was covered by Cosmic Force last spring, having slipped to him the previous season.
Centrefire is the seventh stakes-winner for Darley Stud’s Shooting To Win.
