Greeting My Master To Prove Himself In Victory Moon

Main Defender is under a cloud at present but gets a chance to redeem himself in the Gr 3 Betway Victory Moon Stakes over 1800m at Turffontein Standside on Saturday, while Greeting My Master has his acid test and will attempt to retain the Victory Moon trophy for the Alec Laird yard, who won it last year with Atticus Finch.

The race will give Main Defender a chance to prove he stays a middle distance trip too ahead of the Gr 1 R6 million Betway Summer Cup over 2000m.

Dual Gr 1 winner Purple Pitcher has his second run after a layoff and carries joint topweight of 62kg together with Main Defeneder.

However, with a benchmark of 119 plus penalties and allowances in the merit-rated band conditions event, the 129 merit rated Main Defender is officially 3kg well in with the 123-rated Purple Pitcher and he has drawn well in five.

However, Purple Pitcher finished a fine 2,40 length third in the Gr 1 HKJC Champions Cup at Hollywoodbets Greyville on the last Saturday of last season when last going over this trip. He was also the winner of the Gr 1 TAB SA Classic over this course and distance, so is a definite contender from a plum draw of two under Kabelo Matsunyane. It will be the New Predator colt’s second run of the season having run unplaced over the too sharp 1450m of the Betway Jo’Burg Spring Challenge.

The official best weighted runner is the Gr 2 Wilgerbosdrif Bridget Oppenheimer SA Oaks runner up My Soul Mate.

She is half-a-kilogram better off than Johnny Hero, whose 108 merit rating coincides with the top of the 51kg band.

Aragosta is next best in, 1kg out with My Soul Mate.

Main Defender and Future Pearl as well as last year’s Victory Moon winner Atticus Finch are all 1,5kg under sufferance with My Soul Mate according to official merity ratings.

However, probably the most interesting runner in the field is the up and coming Greeting My Master.

He is the only other horse who is as little as 1,5kg out with the best weighted My Soul Mate and carrying just 51kg he will be fancied by many, especially from a decent draw of six.

The classy Pure Predator would have come on from his sprint comeback and he is just 2,5kg under sufferance wwith My Soul Mate and receives 4kg from Purple Pitcher, who beat him  by two lengths in the SA Classic over course and distance.

However, Pure Predator has drawn wide in 12.

The race provides a last gasp opportunity for horses to book their place in the lucrative Gr 1 R6 million Betway Summer Cup.

The full field is shown below: