Image – Bradley Photos.
Moruya Jockey Club will host the inaugural $50,000 The Legend Of The South (1425m) Benchmark 74 Handicap for three-and-four-year-olds on Friday.
A good field of nine up-and-coming gallopers will contest the seven-furlong event, and Canberra trainer Gratz Vella has entered the in-form Chop The Ice, the current $5 third-favourite.
The three-year-old Santos gelding out of Lady Ice showed promise as a two-year-old and contested the Group 3 $200,000 Black Opal Stakes (1200m) before heading to the paddock in March.
After a 23-week spell, Chop The Ice returned with back-to-back wins on his home track.
First-up in August, he won his maiden on the Acton (1080m) when holding off the highly-touted Gundy Guy to register a 1.3 lengths win.
Earlier this month, he was a dominant two-length winner, beating handy gallopers Insane Volt and Destructive Diva in the Brindabella three-year-old Open Handicap (1200m).
“He’s won two this preparation, and he’s gone from a maiden to a 62 (handicap), but I think the horse has plenty of potential about him,” Vella said.
“He hasn’t put a foot wrong, and even as a two-year-old, he raced well, but he has come on.
“The spell was the best thing for him after he ran in The Black Opal; he’s grown up, and he’s still got some maturing to do, and he is all legs and no body, but after this preparation, I think we will have a very nice horse.”
Vella said The Legend Of The South was the perfect race for improving South East gallopers, and he was looking forward to racing Chop The Ice in the new event.
“It’s the perfect time for a race like this because it suits those up-and-coming three-and-four-year-olds, and I think in a few years’ time, it can grow into a very good race,” Vella said.
“At this time of the year, some of those three-year-olds are really only two, and it can be challenging for those young horses to step and compete against the older horses and their benchmark.
“This way, they are racing horses their age, and there is that little bit of protection.”
Jack Martin, who has ridden the Canberra galloper to both of his wins, will be back on board, and connections have drawn nicely with gate four.
“Jack is very happy with the horse, and he thinks he is going places,” Vella said.
“He’s very happy to ride him, and I’d have to have a crowbar to get him off.”
Vella isn’t sure how long Chop The Ice will be up for this preparation, but a trip to town could follow if he does run well on Friday.
“It’s hard to say what we’ll do, and it’s only his third start this prep,” Vella said.
“If he goes well like we expect, we might attack a three-year-old race in Sydney, or maybe a mid-week, but we’ll take it one race at a time and see how he handles it.”
Vella’s yard has been firing since mid-August, with the stable bringing up five winners this season with victories at Canberra, Moruya, and Wagga.
“It has been a good start to the year,” Vella said.
“I’ve got no champions in my establishment, but they’re all getting the proper TLC, and they’re producing the results, and I couldn’t be happier.”
On a massive day at Moruya Jockey Club, the $50,000 The Legend Of The South will headline an eight-race Showcase program.
There has been good support for the program, particularly the $50,000 Super Maiden Plate (1010m), while the Open Handicap sprint (1010m) has attracted a solid field of country sprinters.
The club is also hosting The Legend Of the South calcutta on Thursday night at the Adelaide Hotel Moruya.
Click here for more on the calcutta and meeting.
Click here for the fields.
