Imposing colt Ethical Judgement returned to the winners’ circle for the third time in his career thanks to a thrilling victory at Ellis Park.
A patient approach by trainer Brendan Walsh and owners Phoenix Thoroughbreds certainly paid off, with Sunday’s win coming on the four-year-old’s second start following an 11-month break. The son of Honor Code has always been highly thought of by connections and they will now be hoping he can build on his third career success in eight starts.
Jockey Martin Garcia took the ride for the mile Allowance Optional Claimer with the pair breaking from gate one. A slightly stumble out of the gate meant that Garcia had to encourage his mount to grab a position just off the pace, but the colt was soon in a nice rhythm. Ethical Judgement stuck to the rail like glue as he raced in fourth throughout most of the race. For a split second, as the field rounded the turn for home, it looked like the big colt might get outpaced, but he rallied well before being switched off the fence to come between runners and record the win.