A METROPOLITAN DOUBLE FOR MARK DU PLESSIS

By Graham Potter | Saturday, October 14, 2023

Eagle Farm … October 14 … and not a bad day’s work for jockey Mark Du Plessis.

Being linked with a Les Ross / Mishani two-year-old is always going to have its advantages, but, even there, as is so often the case in these early two-year-old races, you will come up with several other jockeys in the same position … as it was in the QTIS Two-Year-Old Handicap over 1000m on the day … a race in with Les Ross saddled no less than six of the nine runners, all of whom raced under the Mishani banner.

Mishani Rock, who had won the first two-year-old race of the season at Toowoomba (the Pat O’Shea Plate) was the best fancied of the Ross trained runners as the second favourite at $2.90, behind the Chris Munce trained Boomroux, who topped the betting boards at $2.20, while Du Plessis took Mishani Suspect out onto the track as a $12 chance.

Du Plessis has made a habit of winning on double figure odds chances and this race provided yet another example of that.

Du Plessis made certain of the fact that Mishani Suspect would enjoy the benefit of the number one barrier draw, but Mishani Suspect did have to work to earn the lead after being pushed out by Du Plessis in the early part.

With Unega Wahy’a ($26) to his outside trying to annoy Mishani Suspect, Du Plessis kept the first-timers focus on the job at hand and Mishani Suspect cornered like an old pro, and then set off down the home straight with meaning, quickly shaking off Unega Wahy’a.

At the 350m mark though, it looked like the betting had got the Mishani team odds right as Bubba Tilley unleashed the favourite Mishani Rock, who initially made up ground so quickly that it seemed like he would swamp Mishani Suspect … but, Du Plessis and Mishani Suspect were not ready to lie down.

The strength of the ride and the impressive commitment of Mishani Suspect at only the first time of asking, saw Mishani Suspect fight back when Mishani Rock drew level with him … and he then held his more fancied stable companion by a narrow margin all the way to the line.

It was a busy finish with the favourite Boomroux, who had bungled the start, also closing to within 0.60 lengths at the line, but it was Mishani Suspect’s day as he claimed a hard-earned and well deserved debut victory.
Mishani Suspect was the first leg of a Mark Du Plessis riding double on the day.
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Ten races makes it a long day … but it was worth it for Chris Munce and Mark Du Plessis as they combined to take out the last race of the day … a BM80 Handicap over 1400m … with the four-year-old gelding Dark Harmony, giving Du Plessis a double on the day.

Chris Munce is the fourth trainer to have had Dark Harmony in his care and, apart from his debut for the stable, the son of Mikki Isle had finished in the money in all six starts for the stable prior to this run … for one win, two second place finishes, two third place finished and one fourth place finish, having only once finished more than 0.75 lengths behind the winner during that time.

His consistency found its due reward here with Du Plessis, who had also ridden Dark Harmony ($4.80) to victory in his previous win for the Munce stable, pushing him forward to lead early, riding him like he was the best horse in the race.

Once in front, it was a question of Du Plessis rating the horse well … and he was helped in that regard by getting things pretty easy in the first half of the race in which he was handed an uncontested lead.

That meant Dark Harmony brought the field into the home straight still holding a leading advantage with more left to offer … and he would have to call on those reserves when the pressure camo on early in the straight as Kudu ($12) came off his back, looking ready for the fight.

Dark Harmony had to resist the persistence challenge of Kudu most of the way down the home stretch and then, just when the sting seemed to start to go out of Kudu’s effort, the $9 chance Our Magnus joined in the battle, putting in a determined challenge down the centre of the track and providing a really serious treat to Dark Harmony’s victory aspirations, but the Munce trained runner was not going to be denied and he never faltered under the pressure, kicking all the way to the line … as he had to do … to be able to claim the win by the narrowest of margins.

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