Emerging stayer Song To The Moon gave his Singapore Derby aspirations no harm with a gutsy winning performance in the $60,000 Class 4 race over 2000m on Sunday.

Prepared by first-year trainer Ricardo Le Grange, the Savabeel four-year-old was given a ground-saving run on the rails at the rear by Nooresh Juglall before being launched for his run as the smallish seven-horse field bunched up around the home turn.

After dictating terms from the start, Glorious Prospect (Glen Boss) looked to be travelling well at the halfway mark, but was not quite afforded the quiet time he had been hoping when Golazo (Derreck David) came matching motors with him down the backstraight.

Without having to really come out of his comfort zone, Laurie Laxon’s Alamosa five-year-old shook off the challenge quite well when he entered the home straight, but Song To The Moon, the $15 favourite, obviously had fresher legs when he came popping the question at the 300m.

Juglall’s mount, however, had three kilos more to carry than Glorious Prospect, with the result that the concluding stages of the race saw the duo settle down for a stirring battle. Glorious Prospect gave the impression he could muster a second wind, but class prevailed with Song To The Moon holding him at bay by a short head.

Song To The Moon’s stablemate Feliche (Barend Vorster), who tracked up Glorious Prospect for most of the race, loomed as a threat in the straight, but weakened late to settle for third place a gap of 3 ½ lengths away. The winning time was 2min 2.33secs for the 2000m on the Short Course.

Both Le Grange, who was at a training double, having scored earlier with Terms Of Reference, and Juglall saw plenty of merit in Song To The Moon’s gallant win.

“He’s getting better and better as he races over a bit of ground,” said Le Grange.

“He scored a very nice win and he could be a Derby prospect for us. Well done to the Jubilant Racing Stable.”

Juglall, who later brought up a riding double with the Leslie Khoo-trained Shuying Xiaoxiao in the next race, the $35,000 Class 5 race over 1600m, to take the lead on the ladder for the second time since he started riding at Kranji in 2014, agreed that there were plenty of upsides to Song To The Moon’s win.

“He’s a nice up-and-coming stayer and he proved it at his first win over 2000m today,” said the Mauritian jockey.

“With the big weight, he showed plenty of guts to win as the other horse is not easy to get past.

“It’s a double for the stable, and a big thank you goes to the owners and Ricardo.

“It also means a lot to be on top and hopefully, everything keeps going well, unlike last year when I led for two meetings and then I got injured, and I was on the sidelines for a long time.”

Song To The Moon has now taken his stakes earnings past the $110,000 mark for Mr Joshua Tan’s Jubilant Racing 3 Stable.