WHEN SECOND IS BETTER THAN THIRD ... EVEN IF IT MIGHT NOT ALWAYS FEEL THAT WAY AT THE TIME

By Graham Potter | Saturday, July 2, 2022

Second is better than third … but it doesn’t always feel that way when the next win proves to be elusive for a frustrating period of time.

For Mark Du Plessis, that truth was driven home by … would you believe … a run of no less than four runner-up finishes over two race meetings (at Ipswich on June 30 and the Sunshine Coast on July 2) … before he bounced back … as he does … with a winner.

Port Mourant and Ahika (both for trainer Shaun Dwyer) and Toomuchinformation (for Graham Payne) all finished second at Ipswich with Toomuchinfirmation only being touched off by a nose and Port Mourant closing fast to only be beaten by 0.20 lengths.

At the Sunshine Coast … on Caloundra Cup day on July 2 … Du Plessis rode a ripper of a race in the Cup itself on the Bjorn Baker trained Arapaho to get the gelding home in a lonely second place, 2.80 lengths behind the smart Le Don De Vie and just under two lengths clear of the third placed Pappalino.

Du Plessis made certain Arapaho jumped well, settling the gelding in fourth place, on the rail, in the early part before moving up to third spot, just two lengths off the leader.

Arapaho held that position all the way down the back stretch. Du Plessis then shifted Arapaho off the fence to begin a run and the son of Lope de Vega was travelling well when he took up the running and brought the field into the home straight.

Having swung six to seven wide on the corner to find the better going, Arapaho had to work but was good enough to shrug off his immediate challengers.

First, London Banker cried enough. Then Alakahan, who had tried to slip up along the inside, began to weaken and, while Pappalino continued to fight on bravely, Arapaho was also holding that challenge at bay in what was now becoming a pressurised finish on the testing heavy 10 racing surface.

Du Plessis had put Arapaho in a winning position, but that option disappeared approaching the 200m mark when the $4.40 favourite Le Don De Vie stormed into contention, full of running and carrying a rate of momentum which was strong enough to take him right past Arapaho when it mattered most and on to that 2.80 length victory.

Du Plessis and Arapaho did have work to do though in order to seal second place … and horse and rider worked together well, just as they had done throughout the race, to secure that result.

Another second placed finish for Du Plessis … but his next win was just around the corner … just three races later, in fact, in the last race on Caloundra Cup day in a result which would floor punters.

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