ANOTHER NOTCH ON THE MISHANI BELT AS MISHANI LILY TAKES OUT THE DALRELLO STAKES

By Graham Potter | Saturday, May 4, 2024

The Listed Dalrello Stakes belonged to the Les Ross trained Mishani Lily at Eagle Farm on Saturday on the opening day of Stradbroke Season.

In spite of being tardy away, Mishani Lily quickly accelerated and railed up to lead and, once in front, the chestnut daughter of Kobayashi dictated the course of events with the Peter and Paul Snowden trained Embassy being the only runner to finish within 2.75 lengths of Mishani Lily at the line.

“I said to the jockey (Vlad Duric) before the race that if anyone wanted to go mad in front, you don’t have to lead. I said just to have her comfortable and travelling ... you don’t want her over-racing, so I didn’t mind if something else did take the lead, but I honestly couldn’t see anybody heading her,” said Ross.

“I was quite surprised that she missed the kick. The jockey said she just anticipated the start a little and so was tardy away ... but she has got a high cruising speed and can run some sectionals.”

That she did, stringing out the field mid-race as the Waterhouse and Bott trained Madrina settled second and tried to stay in touch with the Ross trained runner, with Embassy back in third, holding a watching brief.

Into the straight, Madrina was the first to cry enough. Embassy moved into second place and, while Zouna would run on best of the rest, he, and all of the runners, were only really chasing for a share of the minor placings.

Embassy did close ground late, but even though Mishani Lily’s winning margin did come down to 0.33 lengths at the line, the result was never in any serious doubt.

“It’s been a few years that we’ve been trying to find a nice one ... and we’ve got one now, continued Ross.

“She pulled up great and was in the paddock an hour and a half after the race, bucking and playing at the farm.

"She’ll come back in and go to the two-year-old fillies race on May 25 (The Listed Carter Stakes) where I believe Jimmy Orman will ride her.”

Orman had ridden Mishani Lily in three of her last four starts leading into the Dalrello, but he was not on the Ross trained runner on Saturday, instead partnering the runner-up Embassy ... but that booking was not an error of judgement on Orman’s part.

‘He was only on Embassy because of the weight,” volunteered Ross. (Embassy carried 57kg as opposed to Mishani Lily’s 55kg).

“He said he would have ridden the filly if he could have made the 55kg.

“He got taken off her once before at the Gold Coast, three runs back, because he couldn’t make the weight there and he didn’t want that to happen again ... but, this time if he tried to get down to 55kg and not made it he would have missed out on a ride, so he chose Embassy for that reason only.

Mishani Lily, a four-time winner from only eight starts, is one of fifteen two-year-old winners Ross has saddled for the Mishani Enterprises racing and breeding business for the current season ... and this quality chestnut alone has already won $456 250 in prize-money.

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