LAST CHANCE MAKES IT BACK-TO-BACK VICTORIES, AGAIN SCORING AT LONG ODDS

By Graham Potter | Saturday, April 23, 2022

In spite of being a last start track and distance winner, the Shaun Dwyer trained Last Chance was roundly neglected in the betting, starting as the joint second longest priced runner at odds of $21 in the eleven-horse field.

In that pervious win … in an Open Quality Handicap over the 1350m trip on sift going … Last Chance ($18) showed great commitment in a pressurised finish under a determined and focussed ride from Mark Du Plessis to claim no less than his sixteenth career success (from fifty starts).

This time Last Chance dropped in class to a BM90 Handicap over 1350m … and there were seemingly some good reasons for punters to question his ability.

Being down in class was fine, but it came with a jump in weight from 52.5kg to 59.5kg. A wide draw, which Last Chance dealt with very well last time, was again a possible complicating factor here … and then there was the fact that Last Chance would be racing on a heavy track for the first time.

But Last Chance and Du Plessis proved the doubters wrong!

Last Chance was only ordinarily away at the break, but Du Plessis guided Last Chance forward to find fifth place after the field had covered 150m, settling some four lengths off the lead.

Du Plessis asked Last Chance to start to close that gap in the sweep to the home turn and the son of Tycoon Ruler was fourth, three wide, but now only a length-and-s-half back on straightening and in a perfect position to pounce on the leaders.

As before, the six-year-old was up for the task when Du Plessis asked him to quicken early in the straight and Last Chance surged into the lead, looking set to score a comfortable victory, but, although Last Chance would hold on to earn back-to-back victories, the result ultimately came down to a diminishing 0.20 length winning margin as Never No More ($6) charged late but had to settle for second place as Du Plessis got Last Stride home for the second time under another inch perfect ride.

That’s two from two for the Shaun Dwyer, Mark Du Plessis and Last Chance combination now with their race double getting home at odds of $18 and $21 … a real value find for any punter who fancied Last Chance and held their nerve in the face odds which suggested Last Chance was up against it.

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