By Larry Foley, Singapore Turf Club
The formbook may read a hat-trick of recent wins but it has not been all smooth sailing for the David Kok-trained Lord Justice heading into this Saturday’s $70,000 Class 3 Division 1 race over 1100m on the Polytrack.
The Showcasing eight-year-old had his 20-start career interrupted by three bleeding attacks, his first way back in an Open Maiden race on October 5, 2018, when trained by Stephen Gray.
Lameness and respiratory issues again tested connections in 2019 before Lord Justice banked in his first winning cheque on February 9, 2020 in a similar race over 1200m for Gray.
His second bleeding attack in March last year had the Turf Bloodstock Sabah Stable-owned gelding sent for a compulsory break from racing before heading back to work under the care of current trainer Kok.
Kok knew what he was getting and planned accordingly. Connections were rewarded quickly after Lord Justice ran a very promising first-up race to finish second, only half a length behind First Bowl in a Class 4 race over 1100m on August 22, 2021.
A drop to Class 5 race paid dividends with his second career win a month later, but such is the nature of what can at times be a cruel game: Lord Justice bled for the third time.
Patient connections, who had a small taste of success, sent him to the paddock for an extended break, but not even the most optimistic of owners would have envisaged a return to racing in 2022 that saw Lord Justice score two wins from his next two starts.
His first was an impressive three-and-a-half length win after doing it tough wide early for jockey Oscar Chavez on June 11 over 1000m before an equally dominant win when racing on the pace over 1100m for apprentice Yusoff Fadzli on August 7.
He faces a step-up in grade on Saturday but his trainer is more than happy to be enjoying the ride while it lasts.
“Never expected these winning runs from him,” said Kok on Tuesday.
“You take every run as they come, so we’re definitely enjoying the success while we can.
“Class 3 is a big jump – he’s up against some good horses – but he is winning well, so we will give it a go.
“Both his wins (this preparation) have been very easy and we have taken our time with all his runs.
“Obviously, we are mindful about his issue (bleeding) so we do what we can but also understand that it’s a run-by-run proposition.
“His recent trial was good (he won trial no. 2 on September 29 in the time of 1min 00.74 secs) with (apprentice jockey) Jerlyn (Seow) riding and we will claim three kgs with her on Saturday.”
A smart move given Lord Justice will only have to carry 50.5kgs in what looks like a solid Class 3 field with the top-rated horse in the race, Darc Bounty handicapped on 59kgs.
While Kok is in awe of what Lord Justice has achieved in just four starts since transferring over, he knows that his biggest owners – the Turf Bloodstock Sabah Stable – should take most of the credit.
“They (owners) never gave up on this horse,” explained Kok who has 11 wins in 2022 and a healthy strike rate of 10.68%.
“A lot of owners would have cut their losses but the Chairman (Datuk Peter Chin of Royal Sabah Turf Club) and the committee are very kind to their horses and gave them every chance.
“They never pushed me to rush this horse and it’s paid dividends with Lord Justice. I couldn’t be happier for them.
“They are my biggest supporters and I hope to give them more success. They are good owners.”
Going forward, Kok – who boasts three Group 1 wins (2013 Kranji Mile with Cash Luck and the 2016 Patron’s Bowl and Singapore Derby with Well Done) to his name – is happy with the way things are heading in Singapore and is looking forward to increasing his stable numbers in the coming season.
“Things are picking up,” continued Kok.
“We are looking to get some new horses in our stable and racing (in Singapore) looks in a good place.
“We only have a small team so it’s good to keep the winners ticking over.”
