Friday, 15 February 2019: Majestic Moments, the nearly horse in Group 1 races, has died after complications arising from a viral infection on Tuesday.

Majestic Moments

The seven-year-old son of Darci Brahma could not be saved despite round-the-clock veterinarian care dispensed to him since the onset of the virus.



Trainer Ricardo Le Grange was understandably upset he had lost one of his most prolific servants (even if most of his wins were recorded when under the care of Le Grange’s former boss Patrick Shaw), especially as he was slowly coming back from another unrelated surgery.

“He had an infection to his right hind leg. After a couple of weeks trying to salvage him, he went on the operating table twice, we were trying to get the leg flushed,” said the South African handler.



“We tried antibiotics but he was not getting any better. In human terms, you can say he had caught a superbug that you can’t really cure.



“The vets and myself have tried everything night and day. We’ve tried to get a response but nothing helped.



“In consultation with the owners and myself, we had to unfortunately put him down on Tuesday.”



Le Grange remembers the valiant galloper belonging to Mark and Emily Yong as a genuine performer who could have joined Singapore’s top echelon had he had a bit more luck at the winning post.



“He was such a good horse to have and be associated with. He always tried 100%,” said Le Grange.



“He won on debut (June 15, 2014), which was also Nooresh’s (Juglall) first win at his very first ride.



“It wasn’t long before he ran in Group races. Unfortunately, he didn’t win one, but he ran close seconds twice when he was four, and again later on.”



Majestic Moments indeed was unlucky to have turned four in the same era as Well Done (who himself was just retired and sent to Sabah following repeated leg issues), who beat him in second place twice, first in the Group 1 Patron’s Bowl (1600m) followed by the Group 1 Emirates Singapore Derby (2000m) three weeks later.



He followed up with two other agonisingly close second placings to two other champion gallopers, Quechua in the Group 2 Chairman’s Trophy (1800m) and War Affair by a nostril in a Kranji Stakes A race over 1400m.



That bridesmaid tag never quite left Majestic Moments thereafter, even if he lost a bit of his form at his last two seasons.



But the winning post was not elusive anymore on June 24, 2018 when he sealed the last of his eight wins in a Kranji Stakes A race over 1400m with Michael Rodd up.



With rising age, the legs were not as willing anymore, but the saying form is temporary and class is permanent couldn’t have rung truer in last year’s Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (1800m) when he again played second fiddle, running up to one length of Cliff Brown’s superstar Debt Collector.



As if going through a second lease of life, Majestic Moments ran on at odds to finish a meritorious fourth to Elite Invincible in the Group 1 Dester Singapore Gold Cup (2000m) last November.



Any talks of retirement had clearly been shelved as the old boy seemed to still have one win or two left in him, but it wasn’t to be – and with an ironic twist of fate.



“He had fetlock surgery to his front joint after the Gold Cup. That went fine and he was basically starting to go out again to make his racing comeback,” said Le Grange.



“He was coming good and that is the sad part about it – it was the hind leg that was affected while the front leg was all good, and he didn’t survive it this time.



“My thoughts are with Mark and Emily who really loved this horse. They have three horses running this weekend, two on Friday, Mighty Kenny and Majestic Empress ($70,000 Kranji Stakes C race over 2000m) and one on Sunday, Elusive Emperor ($70,000 Class 3 Division 1 race over 1100m).



“Hopefully one of them can win. It would be a fitting tribute for Majestic Moments.”



Majestic Moments raced 46 times for eight wins, 10 seconds and five fourths for prizemoney that had come close to $1.5 million. Besides Juglall (five wins) and Rodd, the great Joao Moreira and Barend Vorster were his other winning partners.



Incidentally, Le Grange also saddles Mighty Emperor in the Kranji Stakes C race on Friday, but the South African-bred son of Kahal does not race in the Tmen Stable colours anymore as Le Grange bought him from the Yongs.



Le Grange’s silks of blue, white maltese, and blue and white halved sleeves are not being seen at Kranji for the first time.



“They are my own set of colours. Ride Of Valkyries (now deleted) raced in those colours twice, without winning,” he said.



“Hopefully, I will get the chance to lead in one of my own horses soon.”