One of only three non Betway Summer Cup entries in Monday’s R400 000 Betway Gr3 Victory Moon Stakes line-up, Alec Laird’s former Cape-based Greeting My Master underscored an inspired bit of big race placement and planning with a courageous victory over gallant joint topweight Main Defender.
Greeting My Master (Chase Maujean) claims a courageous victory over the gallant Main Defender and Gavin Lerena (Pic – JC Photos)
The veteran Alec Laird, who won the race in 2016 with Bezanova, made it a double in the 1800m Turffontein standside track feature after Atticus Finch won the same race last year, and was not disgraced after he ran third behind his stablemate in his title defence on Monday.
It was an uncomplicated affair as Greeting My Master led stablemate Atticus Finch just ahead of Main Defender for much of the trip. This is the way they finished, with second and third swapped.
Main Defender, who looked a million dollars, was travelling with a double handful and was sent on his way halfway up the straight by Gavin Lerena as he took over from Greeting My Master.
But Chase Maujean had something in reserve as he balanced the gelding for another dip, with Main Defender appearing to come up for air late in the race, as his eleven kilogram premium clearly appeared to count.
In a grandstand finish, Maujean got Greeting My Master (17-10) to rally impressively and he went on to beat Main Defender (5-2, tote favourite) going away by a half length in a time of 112,68 secs.
Atticus Finch (6-1) ran a decent Summer Cup prep a further 2,50 lengths away in third, with Thunee Playa (16-1) looking dangerous late and rounding off the quartet.
Chase Maujean, whose wife is now also his Agent, put in the hard yards to get down to the carded weight and observed that Greeting My Master is ‘quite a funny horse’.
“He was quite unbalanced late. I gave him a chance and he found more. Thanks to Mr Wernars who called me for the ride and to Mr Laird who had the gelding in fine fettle.”
Greeting My Master was formerly trained by Piet Steyn out of Milnerton and was moved to Alec Laird, for whom he was having his sixth run, after the Wernars family bought in.
Alec Laird called it ‘nervewracking’.
“The second horse is top-class but he gave us 11kgs. It’s nice to have another winner for Laurence Wernars and full marks to Chase Maujean for the good ride and getting down to the weight,” added Laird.
Greeting My Master is not a Betway Summer Cup entry as we observed previously, and this was his maiden stakes strike.
He has now won 4 races with 5 places from 14 starts for stakes of R600 150.
A R120 000 graduate of the 2022 BSA National Yearling Sale, the Syrilla Stud-bred Greeting My Master is a son of Master Of My Fate (Jet Master) out of the very well-related four-time winning Kahal mare Eastern Greeting.
There will be chance for a rethink on Greeting My Master as final Betway Summer Cup entries only close at 09h00 on Monday, 18 November 2024, after which weights will be announced.
Declarations must be in by 11h00 on Wednesday, 20 November and barrier draws will be conducted at a Betway event on 20 November.
