Kosi’s back to rule again
Kranji’s champion may be burdened with 59.5kg but his class will see him through
Fully fit or not, Kranji’s kingpin Lim’s Kosciuszko is set to continue from where he left off in the Singapore 2023 season.
A shoo-in for a back-to-back Horse of the Year title (2023 award a foregone conclusion), the Daniel Meagher-trained and Lim’s Stable-owned equine superstar stands out like soot on snow in his comeback race on March 23.
It will be his first since returning from his brave ninth placing in the International Group 1 Longines Hong Kong Mile (1,600m) on Dec 10. The race was won by three-time Hong Kong Horse of the Year, Golden Sixty.
Before that, Lim’s Kosciuszko captured the $1 million Group 1 Singapore Gold Cup (2,000m) on Nov 11.
Meagher is happy with his champion’s preparation for his 2024 campaign.
But while he warned that the horse he affectionately calls “Kosi” is still not 100 per cent ready, it is also clear as day that class will tell.
At 117 rating points and arguably the best thoroughbred to grace Kranji since Rocket Man, Lim’s Kosciuszko towers above the rest in the $100,000 Kranji Stakes A event over the Polytrack 1,200m on March 23.
The 17-time winner, seven in Group 1, may be shouldering a massive 59.5kg but his class should carry him through against what is clearly a “mediocre” Class 1 affair.
Furthermore, as what Meagher had said, the Kranji Stakes A race “actually worked out pretty well at the weights”.
“We only carry a few kilos more than the next best-rated horse (King Arthur, 97 with 56.5kg) and the bottom weight is at 52kg,” he reasoned.
“The Polytrack over 1,200m will suit, too. But he definitely needs this run, and maybe one more to get him back into racing mode before the big races.
“He’s fit enough, but obviously not fully screwed down.”
The main target is Lim’s Kosciuszko’s defence in the $1 million Group 1 Kranji Mile (1,600m) on May 18.
Meagher’s immediate task is getting “Kosi” there, starting with the Kranji Stakes A event on March 23.
The Australian has given his charge two trials, the latest on March 14, when he led and then finished a narrow second to Gold Star, who is meeting him on March 23 with 52kg.
It was a soft trial by Lim’s Kosciuszko and it pleased both Meagher and race jockey Marc Lerner.
“I was pretty happy, and so was Marc. So this race will definitely switch him back on. It will stimulate him,” said Meagher.
“He needs that and, to be honest, I don’t care if he wins this race or not, as long as he gets through okay and shows his competitive streak on the track.
“If I’m happy with him after this race, he will go straight to the Kranji Mile with a couple of trials to get him ready.”
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