Lim’s Kosciuszko’s the one
Meagher’s ace should get the first run over Clements’ Tiger Roar in the Stewards’ Cup
Take your pick in this afternoon’s $150,000 Group 2 Stewards’ Cup – Lim’s Kosciuszko or Tiger Roar.
Although the 1,600m feature is contested by a dozen four-year-olds, the duo stand out with their form and class. They are the two highest-rated contenders with their ratings of 101 and 83.
The ones heading for better things, they should battle for the top prize.
The next-highest galloper, Red Ocean, has only 77 points, which puts him in just lower Class 2 and upper Class 3.
The lowest-rated, Happy Wonderful, has only 52 points (Class 4). If there are more quality horses, he would not have qualified.
A hypothetical example is that Happy Wonderful will carry only 32.5kg, to Lim’s Kosciuszko’s 57kg, on the handicapping basis of one point to 1/2kg.
Even Tiger Roar, who is the second highest, is 18 points lower and will carry only 48kg.
So, purely on rating, Lim’s Kosciuszko stands out like soot on snow in this set-weights affair, in which all runners carry 57kg.
He is a class or classes above the rest. Hence, the Daniel Meagher-trained and Lim’s Stable-owned eight-wins-in-a-row hero is the one to beat.
Besides the big rating advantage, Lim’s Kosciuszko also possesses bright early pace. He will have the first run instead of Tiger Roar, a noted come-from-behind galloper.
He could steal a nice breakaway and make it hard for Tiger Roar to catch up.
Certain quarters may argue that Lim’s Kosciuszko flopped in his last start as the $13 favourite over the Stewards’ Cup trip last month.
But remember he was taking on the big guns in the $1 million International Group 3 and domestic Group 1 Kranji Mile, won by stablemate and Horse of the Year Lim’s Lightning.
Do not look at where he finished, look at his timing. Although he dropped back to place 10th, he clocked a superb 1min 33.94sec.
The Australian-bred is now meeting horses in his own age group and his class should prevail.
The Michael Clements-trained and Falcon Racing No. 7 Stable-owned Tiger Roar also has class written all over him.
He was last season’s Champion Three-Year-Old, winning the Group 3 Singapore Three-Year-Old Sprint over 1,200m and was a narrow second in the Singapore Three-Year-Old Classic over 1,400m.
He could have earned more rating points but his campaign was interrupted by a knee-chip surgery on his bottom joint.
He has come back good, winning first-up over 1,200m. The concern is he is facing the second-run syndrome over an extra 400m.
But this setback should not hold back a good horse. Watch him attack Lim’s Kosciuszko at the finish.
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