ROSS LOADS UP WITH THE MISHANI TWO-YEAR-OLDS

By Graham Potter | Tuesday, October 25, 2022

It is a well-known fact that the Les Ross stable loads up on two-year-old horses running under the Mishani banner at this time of year as they make an early move for qualification in the $2 Million Magic Millions Two-Year-Old Classic which will be contested at the Gold Coast on January 14.

That said, even those accustomed to the numbers Ross puts in play would have done a double-take when they looked at the nominations for the $125 000 Two-Year-Old Plate at Eagle Farm on Saturday where no less than twelve of the nineteen nominations are Mishani horses.

Speaking at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday, where Mishani Maverick saluted … beating another three Mishani runners home in a seven horse field … Ross explained the process and the thinking behind the two-year-olds campaign he handles for owner Mike Crooks, who heads the Mishani Enterprises racing and breeding operation.

“The whole lot of thirty two-year-olds that we have go through our system as one,” explained Ross.

“We go through them and then we just filter and pick out the ones we think will make Magic Millions horses … early runners … and then we put them through the sale.

“You have got to do that pretty early. It is very difficult to tell without galloping them … and when you gallop them you’ll get something coming through afterwards like Mishani Raider, who is a nice horse who ran second the other day, who is not paid up for the Millions. We didn’t think he would make it.

“I think there is about fifteen paid up for the Millions, but, of course, even if they have got the ability, things can go wrong … horses can have an injury setback or just pull up sore.

“It is a long process. It starts in December,” continued Ross.

‘They get broken-in in December. They come to me in January … and we’ve been working on those horses for ten months now.

“They are in and out. They come in for three weeks and they go out for three weeks … and they also do a lot of work out there on the farm (the Mishani property base at Beaudesert).

“Donna and Simone … they are both on the farm … and they’ve done a lot of work raising them from their mothers right up to now.”

And, yes, Ross did mention this Saturday’s Mishani attack.

“This Saturday I’m hoping to have eight or ten runners,’ said Ross. “If I could get ten in that might be the whole field … either way we will be nominating a hell of a lot of them for Saturday.”

Mishani Renegade is the Mishani runner that sits pretty at the moment in the Magic Millions Order Of Entry (bearing in mind we are still a long way out from the big day) having chalked up two wins from two starts.

He is one of the Mishani contingent nominated for Saturday … where he joins Mishani Maverick, Mishani Raider, Mishani Star, Mishani Tycoon, Mishani Twilight, Mishani Mystique, Mishani Mettalic, Mishani Valour, Mishani Cienna, Mishani Eagle and Mishani Flash in the list of nominations.

Spare a thought for the commentator. He has got the memorize which colour cap goes with which horse’s name … which is no mean feat in itself.

“Mishani Renegade will definitely go to the paddock after Saturday,” added Ross. “We’ll put him away … maybe bring him back for one run before the Millions.

“At this stage we’ll try to get three or four there. It’s very difficult to that, but hopefully we can get three or four in the Millions … and, better still, hopefully we can win it because Mike deserves it because he puts so much into the game.”

*Ross had three runners in last year’s Magic Millions Two-year-Old Classic with Mishani Warfare faring best, finishing in fifth spot, 4.15 lengths behind Coolangatta at a starting price of $101.