How Dom Sheed’s AFL Grand Final-winning goal inspired All-Star Mile hope Dom To Shoot

A rival trainer has declared Dom To Shoot the best named horse he has seen, after owner-breeder named his Shooting To Win gelding after Dom Sheed’s famous Grand Final-winning goal in 2018.

Dom To Shoot is named after Dom Sheed’s Grand Final winning goal in 2018. Picture: Scott Barbour—Racing Photos via Getty Images.

Dom Sheed broke the hearts of Collingwood supporters in the 2018 AFL Grand Final, now the horse named in his honour is looking to break Victorian hearts again in Saturday’s All-Star Mile at Caulfield.

West Australian gun Dom To Shoot, by Shooting To Win, was named after Sheed’s famous goal in the dying stages of the 2018 grand final and his father and son training duo of Sean and Jake Casey are bullish of overcoming Mr Brightside in the $3.75m feature.

“Being by Shooting To Win, we were scratching our head for a name and (owner-breeder) Wally (Daly) thought the best set shot he has ever seen was Dom Sheed when he won the grand final (for West Coast), even with him being a Fremantle supporter,” Sean Casey said.

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“Even (fellow trainer) Simon Miller, before he had ever won a race, said it was the best name he had ever seen.”

The Caseys originally teamed up with subsequent Group 1 winner Vega Magic, but the pair reckon they may have finally found a horse better than him in the form of Dom To Shoot, who landed their first Group 1 in the Northerly Stakes at Perth yesterday.

Jake Casey won on Vega Magic nine times in Perth, before the horse made his way to Melbourne to be trained by David Hayes.

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That’s when the jockey eventually pulled the pin on his riding career to join his father Sean in the training ranks.

The jockey-turned-trainer has been a welcome addition to the stable, with Sean saying he has cut his teeth in racing and ready to match it with the big guns.

“He was an apprentice to me and then he was riding with me, we had a good run with Vega Magic,” Casey said.

Dom To Shoot is looking to cause a boilover in the All-Star Mile on Saturday. Picture: Western Racepix.

“After the (2016) Winterbottom, before he went away, Jake decided with his weight rising that he would start learning to train with me.

“He has a few years under his belt now, he took the horses away last year when they did well. It has taken a bit of the burden off me.

“We are lucky that our main owner Wally Daly has always had confidence in me and he has passed that onto Jake.

“We thought Vega Magic would be the best horse we ever trained, but now Dom To Shoot has risen the way he has in the last couple of years.”

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After knocking off Zaaki in the Group 1 Northerly Stakes in December, Casey is full of confidence when it comes to lowering the colours of odds-on favourite Mr Brightside on Saturday and says he expects the race to be run in two divisions.

“I think it is a good benchmark, matching up to a horse like Zaaki at level weights,” he said.

“It gives us confidence to keep going at that level, which is our encouragement really.

“Mr Brightside is going to be racing the same pattern as us, there will be Pride Of Jenni and Buffalo River running hard in front.

“There will be a race with two divisions, we are hoping the second division can catch the first one and we can tack on to Mr Brightside.”

Dom To Shoot is a $34 chance on Saturday.

Originally published as How Dom Sheed’s AFL Grand Final-winning goal inspired All-Star Mile hope Dom To Shoot