THE MISHANI TRAIN JUST KEEPS ON ROLLING ALONG

By Graham Potter | Sunday, November 13, 2022

The Mishani train rolled into the Gold Coast on Saturday on a hit and run mission and duly took the lions share of the cash, $20 375 of the $26 000 on offer in a QTIS Two-Year-Old Maiden Handicap, in which the trainer Les Ross and Mishani Enterprises team were represented by five of the seven runners.

That’s small change in the grand scheme of things … just a diversion for the organisation really … a little top up of funds … but it did continue the theme of recent weeks in which the Ross stable has targeted some of the two-year-old races in Queensland.

Ross sent out nine of ten runners in the two-year-old race at Eagle Farm on October 29. At the Sunshine Coast on November 6, he had four of the six runners … and then it was on to Saturday with those five out of seven runners in the two-year-old field at the Gold Coast.

But not everybody is happy.

Some of the pre-race media beat-up before the race at Eagle Farm two weeks ago seemingly tried to suggest that there was something not quite right with the fact that trainer Les Ross had nine of the ten runners in the QTIS Two-Year-Old Plate that day.

Reports at the time included words like ‘controversial,’ when referring to the official race balloting system, while also speaking of Ross ‘defending’ his position when, in truth, there was no controversy and there was nothing to defend.

The system that is in place is up front and allows a level playing field for everyone and the fact that Ross, through his due diligence and the manner in which he has set about implemented a sound business plan … aided, of course, by the numbers he has available with his Mishani connection, is ahead of the game is to his credit.

And make no mistake … with Les Ross and owner Mike Crooks, who similarly had all of those horses representing his Mishani brand in recent weeks … it is a business.

Operating smartly within the rules saw the Ross runners earn $121 875 of the $125 000 on offer for that race at Eagle Farm (which was just shy of three times as much prize-money earned by any other individual winner at Eagle Farm on the day).

Also, Mishani Renegade maintained his unbeaten record there, scoring for the third successive time to basically secure his spot in the lucrative $2 million Magic Millions Two-Year-Old Classic in January.

Another box ticked for the stable!

Not that this is anything new in general terms. Ross has followed the same well-worn path with his two-year-olds for several years and clearly has no reason to change a successfully formula.

Those who found they had been caught short in the balloting system for that race at Eagle Farm … as two high profile stables were in that instance … have nobody else to blame for any shortfall but themselves.

And, sadly, arguably a valid question would be … if it wasn’t two big stables that had been ‘compromised’ would we ever have heard anything more about it?

Those horses were shut out because the balloting system is based on prize-money earned. Not having raced, they had earned no prize money, yet some people are throwing their hands in the air and calling for change.

Not that a review of any rule is a bad thing, but if you start dissecting things and want to ring the changes you had better know how to put it all back together again.

Oh, and by the way, the final field for the lucrative $2 million Magic Millions Classic is determined by prize-money … so what about the prize-money differential between states which clearly favours those running in the two major states to the south of the Queensland border.

Is that a level playing field?

Maybe some food for thought there, but, again, it really doesn’t matter either way.

Why?

Because, as in the Queensland balloting argument, that is the current state of play and everybody knows the rules of the game and the parameters involved before they elect to participate in the fight to earn a place in the race … just as it is with any regular two-year-old race on a Saturday in Queensland.

Granted, the has been little further talk of ‘controversy’ since that Eagle Farm meeting … which is just as well because, really, there is nothing to see here.

Move on.