Judicial confirmed in Victory Moon Stakes

Last year’s winner Judicial heads up the field for the R400,000 Victory Moon Stakes (Grade 2) over 1800m on Saturday 14 November at Turffontein.

The race is the feature event at Leg 2 of the Racing. It’s A Rush! International Jockeys’ Challenge, which starts the day before at Fairview.

Judicial, who will be ridden by leading apprentice Craig Zackey for trainer Tyrone Zackey, has run only six times since winning last year’s Victory Moon Stakes and won a Pinnacle race over the same course and distance in July in his last outing. He’d had a similar break last year, so there is no reason to believe he will be ring rusty. However, he is drawn wide.

The other top weight in the field is Dean Kannemeyer-trained Hot Ticket, who will be raiding from KwaZulu-Natal. He has only placed three times since winning the Gold Vase at Greyville last year and could find the distance too short.

The highest-rated runners at 106 are four-year-old Rampant Ice, who will be ridden by Weichong Marwing for his brother Weiho, and St John Gray’s Yer-Maan, who will have Irishman Pat Cosgrave in the saddle.

Both horses get 1kg from Judicial, who is rated one point or 0.5kg inferior.

Rampant Ice was downfield in the Peermont Emperors Palace Charity Mile, but finished fourth behind French Navy in the Daily News 2000 last season and could prefer this 200m longer distance.

Seven-year-old Yer-Maan, a Grade 1 winner in Zimbabwe this year, needed his last run after a layoff but is another runner drawn wide.

There are two other raiders in the field. Cape trainer Joey Ramsden will be sending out Gold Circle Derby winner Disco Al, a winner over this course and distance before. He has drawn well at No 5 and will be ridden by Anton Marcus. KZN-based Paul Lafferty is set to run Double Clutch, the mount of Piere Strydom. He finished a close sixth behind Disco Al in the 2400m Derby and meets his rival on 1kg better terms.

Trainer Mike De Kock sends out Kingston Mines, downfield in both runs since finishing a close third in the Gold Circle Derby, and Ahlaam, who finished ahead of Disco Al, Deo Juvente, Easy Lover, Earl Of Derby, Yer-Maan and his stable companion when second to St Tropez over 1800m on the inside track last month.

Sean Tarry, Geoff Woodruff and Alec Laird also have more than one runner in the race. Ruling champion trainer Tarry will field former Durban July winner Heavy Metal, Whiteline Fever and Algoa Cup hero Stonehenge, while Woodruff has badly drawn Killua Castle and Deo Juvente. Laird sends out As You Like, who recently made his comeback after 11 months off, and Earl Of Derby.

The field in order of saddlecloth number, draw, horse, trainer, weight and merit rating: