There’s no missing with Sniper Shot

THE Paul Lafferty-trained Sniper Shot should go close on formlines in tomorrow night's Grade 2 post Merchants over 1 200m at Greyville. However, he had an interruption in his training program due to a sales offer and then had to be scratched from the Tsogo Sun Sprint due to a pulled muscle in his back.

But all is now well with the three-yearold Judpot gelding and Lafferty's assistant trainer Roy Waugh said, “He has put up a good grass gallop and is looking fantastic.”

Sniper Shot failed the pisoplasma test after being the subject of a sales offer.

Fever Tree Handicap

In his last three runs he won the Fever Tree Handicap over 1 400m at Scottsville, finished second in the Grade 3 Byerley Turk over 1 400m at Greyville to subsequent Grade 1 winner Undercover Agent and then finished second in the Grade 2 Daisy Guineas at Greyville to Do It Again.

Previous to that he had run twice at Scottsville over tomorrow night’s trip of 1 200m and been beaten both times by Post Merchants contender Sunset Eyes.

In the first of those meeting he gave Sunset Eyes 1kg and was beaten two lengths and in the second meeting in February he received half-a-kilogram and was beaten 0,75 lengths. He now faces Sunset Eyes at level weights.

However, if weight for age changes are taken into consideration he is 3,5kg better off for a two length beating and 1,5kg better off for a 0,75 length beating, so there is very little in it.

However, Betting World have Sunset Eyes as the 5-2 favourite and Sniper Shot is at 8-1. Sunset Eyes does have a draw advantage of pole position vs draw ten, which is a big factor.

Sniper Shot was kept wide in order to overcome a wide draw in the Byerley Turk and ended lying third in the running alongside the well drawn Undercover Agent, but it will be tough to repeat that tactic against classy speedsters over a 200m shorter trip. Nevertheless, he should be running on strongly as he loves Greyville.