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After a protracted absence, the Tmen pair of Majestic Moments and Emperor’s Banquet are back in the spotlight in the same race on Sunday.
Trainer Ricardo Le Grange said it was not by design that the two smart middle-distance performers had found their way into the $125,000 Mr Big 2011 Stakes Kranji Stakes A over 1400m. The South African saddles a third runner in Mr Fantasti.
He said both Majestic Moments (chip) and Emperor’s Banquet (leg) were on the sidelines for different health issues, but had somehow returned to their race fitness around the same time.
Even though the first-year handler knows the two gallopers back to front, he is actually racing them for the first time under his name. Both were previously trained by Le Grange’s former boss Patrick Shaw, and together with all the other horses, have subsequently been passed down to him upon Shaw’s retirement in December.
Majestic Moments last ran in last November’s Group 1 Dester Singapore Gold Cup (2200m) in which he ran sixth to Bahana while Emperor’s Banquet has been out of sight two months longer – since September 25, 2016 when fourth to War Affair in a Kranji Stakes A race over 1400m.
Both horses have been two of Tmen’s most successful gallopers with 14 wins between them (seven apiece). There is nothing much between the two, with Emperor's Banquet the one with ‘black type’ win in the Group 3 Fortune Bowl (2000m) in 2015, but Majestic Moments, the younger of the two, having endeared himself to Kranji with his near-misses in Group 1 events, like last year’s Emirates Singapore Derby (2000m) and the Patron’s Bowl (1800m).
A five-year-old by Darci Brahma, Majestic Moments won his last race in April 2016 while it has been a longer time between drinks for Emperor’s Banquet, a seven-year-old son of Holy Roman Emperor – February 20, 2015.
The question is whether they can return to such lofty heights again. Le Grange realises the long downtime would have seen ring-rustiness set in, but is confident they still have something going for them.
“Majestic Moments had a chip removed from his front fetlock after the Gold Cup while Emperor’s Banquet had two screws refitted to his left front leg,” he said.
“I’ve given both horses all the time in the world to recover and slowly bring them back. Here I have to thank Mark Yong (Tmen Stable) for his patience and never putting me under any pressure to get their horses ready.
“I’m happy with both of their condition and trackwork leading up to Sunday. They have come through their trials very well.
“They may not have the race fitness on their side, but it will come back with more racing.”
Le Grange said the next two or three runs will be crucial from a long-term perspective.
“Obviously, they will both be set for the big races at the end of the year if all goes well, the Kranji Mile and the Raffles Cup, and all depending, either the El Dorado Classic or the Gold Cup,” he said.
“For now, I just want to focus on Sunday’s race. It’s a nice Kranji Stakes A race and over 1400m, which will make for a nice prep run.
“I’m expecting to see both improve from that first run.”
Majestic Moments jumps from barrier No 4 and will have regular partner Nooresh Juglall aboard while Emperor’s Banquet will for the first time be ridden by current leading jockey Vlad Duric and will exit the machine from gate No 2.
