Ms Catherine. Picture: Racing Photos
Caulfield trainer Henry Dwyer has his eyes set on the spring’s early black type races with speedy filly Ms Catherine.
And Dwyer has lofty goals for Ms Catherine come the autumn, targeting the unbeaten three-year-old at the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate.
Ms Catherine is set to return at The Valley on Saturday, contesting a three-year-old race over 1000m.
The Valley has proved a fruitful hunting ground for Ms Catherine in the past, winning her last start there in the Group 3 Typhoon Tracy Stakes on February 21.
Dwyer said he wanted Ms Catherine fit and ready to go for the early part of the spring.
“We had a bit of time up our sleeves and she could have been back racing two or three weeks ago and this race looked suitable,” Dwyer said.
“There’s a nice progression of races for her every couple of weeks through to a race like the Monash or the Bletchingly to try and add some black type to her CV.
“I don’t think there is much for her in the spring anyway, so if we can go through that late winter and be race fit … then those horses are generally the ones that win those early spring sprints. Then we will give her a nice break over the spring and then really target the autumn with her.”
“I reckon she will be really good around that 1000m, 1100m at Caulfield. I reckon a race like the Oakleigh Plate would be the end game in the autumn.”
Dwyer said Ms Catherine was originally planned to head to Adelaide’s carnival, however a slight muscle twinge meant those plans were shelved.
“We haven’t given her much of a break (after she won the Typhoon Tracy). She was due to go to Adelaide for the Redelva over there and it just didn’t quite suit,” Dwyer said.
“We galloped her on the Tuesday and she only galloped fairly. We had the chiro go over her … and she found just a muscle twinge behind, it wasn’t anything major.
“Just putting her on a truck, she’s an undefeated filly, she’s got a bit of value about her. We didn’t really want to send her to Adelaide with that hanging over her and on the back of that gallop.
“There wasn’t a lot else for her in the short term so we made the decision to send her down to the beach and she had a couple of weeks down there at St Leonards, wading in the water.
“She’s come back to Caulfield in good order.”