MISHANI SNIPER SHOOTS DOWN THE OPPOSITION

By Graham Potter | Saturday, May 20, 2023

The Mishani Enterprises team scored another notable success when Mishani Sniper scored a nail-biting win in the Listed Chief De Beers over 1110m at Doomben on May 20.

While there was certainly nothing wrong with Mishani Sniper’s form going into the race … he had chalked up three successive wins and three second places in his previous six starts … the weight of the big stable opposition (which included runners from the likes of top visiting trainers James Cumming and Bjorn Baker … as well as local heavyweights Tony Gollan and Robert Heathcote), coupled with the fact that Mishani Sniper had to jump from barrier eleven out of twelve runners, saw punters turn away from the Les Ross trained runner, with Mishani Sniper allowed to start at the juicy odds of $17.

Mark Du Plessis, who was riding Mishani Sniper for the first time, took the four-year-old gelding back from the wide draw, racing second then third last, some seven lengths off the leader in the first half of the race.

Du Plessis edged Mishani Sniper a little bit close in the sweep to the home turn while following a line which would see him corner five wide in search of clear running, At the top of the home straight that search needed one more switch, and Du Plessis didn’t hesitate, quickly angling Mishani Sniper out across the heels of The Big Goodbye ($7.50) … which arguably turned out to be the race winning move.

While it did initially allow The Big Goodbye to steal a couple of lengths advantage on Mishani Sniper, it also now allowed the Les Ross trained runner that much sought after clear run to the line.

Neither of Mishai Sniper or The big Goodbye were near the lead at this stage, but they quickly picked up momentum to the degree that the race would ultimately come down to the fight between these two runners.

They only got to King Kapa ($4.40), who had surged to the lead halfway up the straight, inside the final 100m and, as they loomed up to go past King Kapa, so too did Mishani Sniper get the better of The Big Goodbye, having produced a sustained run with no let-up all the way to the line.

It was a big win in testing circumstances by Mishani Sniper under a great ride from Du Plessis.

Mishani Sniper is now a five-time winner, with six minor placings, from twenty-five starts and this latest win pushed his prize-money earnings to $343 850.

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