‘Iron’ Man AK Lim rocks KL with ‘no pain no gain’ ride

If a Ride of the Year award existed on the Malaysian circuit, homegrown jockey Lim Aun Kean would have been a front runner to the nod, following his stunning winning ride on Rocky Pegasus in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 10.

The Kedah-born rider lost his near-side iron at the jumpout, but, amazingly, was still able to steer the second favourite to a thrilling short-head win over Trees Of Valinor (Ruzaini Supien).

The first SOS signs appeared when Rocky Pegasus was dropped to second-last – while he had followed in midfield at his previous three starts – and it soon became apparent Lim had his left foot dangling loose.

Such a sight in horse racing normally equates to an early exit, but in Rocky Pegasus’ case, he had a saving grace. Lim’s right foot was still in his stirrup.

The Redwood three-year-old, otherwise, looked to be travelling reasonably well despite being slightly detached from the main pack, while Lim appeared to be handling the pickle he was in the best way he could.

Turning for home, Rocky Pegasus had noticeably not lost any more ground. He was still within striking distance, but with two odds left to beat at the 300m.

They were two massive challenges, even at the best of times – favourite Trees Of Valinor looking full of running after he had struck the front, and to make matters worse, he had to pass a wall of horses first.

That was when Lim was rewarded for never losing his cool and self-belief.

The moment the gaps appeared, the fearless jockey switched into battle mode, albeit without throwing caution to the wind.

Lim needed one last box to be ticked for the unthinkable to come off: the horse himself. Rocky Pegasus responded with a sizzling turn of foot to nab Trees Of Valinor by a short head.

Owner Zarina Hamid, trainer Wayne Lim and backers of the $28 shot alike had a lot to thank the 36-year-old for his gutsy ride, even if he later let in the discomfort was more in the legs than anywhere else.

“My legs were sore after that race. Luckily, my private parts were okay,” he said, tongue in cheek.

“I was stood down for the last two rides, because I couldn’t squat, but I’m feeling much better now. I’ll be riding this week.”

Lim, who rode for seven months in Singapore from July 2018 to January 2019, booting home six winners, said defeat never crossed his mind during the running of the RM50,000 Open Class (1,250m).

“I never thought I was out of the race. I was still sitting on the horse, all I had to do was balance myself,” he said.

“The good thing was I was still able to control the horse by putting pressure on my right foot.

“If both legs are out, it’s difficult to keep a balance and ride out at the same time.

“I just had to follow behind, stride by stride. I just let him stride while trying not to fall off.

“He was getting faster and faster, and I just had to wait for him to fly home. But, at the 300m, I had to wait as there was no room.

“But once the gaps opened up, I went for him. I couldn’t ride as vigorously as normal, but I did my best, as long as I didn’t fall off.”

While Lim never shirked the “no pain, no gain” mantra in his commitment to ride to the end, in his post-mortem, he was not all that taken aback by the incident.

“The buckle of the leather broke when the horse moved in the gates. I think the holes were a bit loose,” said Lim.

“That’s why I couldn’t put my left foot back in the stirrup. At the jumpout, he took only one stride, and shifted in, and I could feel my left leg drop straight away.

“I actually had an incident with this horse at his last two starts. First he got squeezed at the start, and the second time, he jumped out well but was checked when a horse shifted in and lost a few lengths.

“When I lost my stirrup this time, I was like “oh no, not again”, but I had confidence in this horse, and he didn’t let me down.”

The day before, Lim was in action in Penang with only two rides, nearly coming away with a perfect score.

His first ride and best chance, Trigger Pegasus – who is also raced by Rocky Pegasus’ owner – looked all over the winner at the 200m in the main race, the Anniversary Cup (1,400m), but just got denied by Xena (Ruzaini) by a short head.

Lim bounced back right away in the next race with $41 outsider Wiseman, but still rued the one that got away.

“Trigger Pegasus was laying in, but that’s racing,” he said.

manyan@sph.com.sg