Top galloper Lim’s Kosciuszko (Kermadec) passed his first test on the Polytrack with flying colours after he put his rivals to the sword in the Listed Merlion Trophy over 1200m at Kranji on Saturday.
It was a remarkable effort given that the five-year-old son of Kermadec won the highlight race of the day with the proverbial leg in the air first-up after an arduous hit-and-run mission in the Gr.1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin racecourse back in December.
Winning trainer Daniel Meagher was quick to praise both jockey and staff but was in awe of the “little horse”.
“It was a tough Hong Kong trip. I felt pretty disappointed, but anyway, we got over that,” he said.
“We brought him back and it’s been a little bit of a troublesome run. He’s done a great job and good horses can do it.”
When asked about his concerns leading into Lim’s Kosciuszko first start on the Polytrack, Meagher was honest but knew exactly where the now three-time Group winner was headed next.
“He’s a frontrunning horse so he was going to be out of the kickback. It’s always a concern if you’ve never run on it (the Polytrack) before and you never know what this track is going to pop up sometimes,” he explained.
“I’m going to get him ready for the Raffles Cup. I’m not going to run him until then. I will give him a couple of trials and straight into that.
“Then (it would be) his main target – the only race I want to win with him this year – is the Kranji Mile over 1600m.”
The Raffles Cup will be run twice this year, in which the first running of the 1600m feature race will be held on March 25. The Kranji Mile will be run on May 20.
The winning time was 1 min 10.32secs for the 1200m on the Polytrack and Lim’s Kosciuszko 12th win in 15 starts took his prizemoney to a shade over S$850,000 for connections.
Bred by Trelawney Stud, Lim’s Kosciuszko was passed in at the New Zealand Bloodstock Sales and then sold privately after winning his first and only trial in New Zealand when under the care of Clayton Chipperfield.
New Zealand bred winners in Singapore on Saturday include Sabah Ace (Swiss Ace), Per Incrown (Per Incanto), Ace Sovereign (Darci Brahma), Axel (Darci Brahma), & Ben Wade (Ferlax).
