Lim's Kosciuszko's super seven
Meagher and connections in seventh heaven as their unbeaten star continues relentlessly
Super seven. Lucky seven. Magnificent Seven. Seventh heaven...
Oh, how we tossed them about, trying to find just the right fit for what Lim’s Kosciuszko had just done in Race 10 on Saturday.
None seemed enough. What the Lim’s Stable-owned star did was awesome.
Now unbeaten in seven starts, his march to greatness seems relentless.
A real pity, the grandstand had to be empty. Otherwise, you could have imagined the rousing cheers when he returned to scale.
But, sure as ever, he had racegoers glued to television screens. And, yes, they accorded Kranji’s wonder horse the ultimate endorsement by backing him down to unbettable odds. He went off as the $7 top pick.
As we have begun to expect, when jockey Danny Beasley is on a winning horse, he takes no prisoners. It was exactly like that in the $85,000 Class 2 sprint over 1,200m.
Beasley settled his mount nearest the rails and, one by one, he took care of all who mounted a challenge.
Makkem Lad tried. Rocket Star tried. So, too, Gold Star. All were left by the wayside.
Indeed, over the final furlong, Lim’s Kosciuszko was brilliant.
Yes. What he did was super. Saturday’s win was his sixth over 1,200m. His other win was over 1,400m.
On what we saw, Lim’s Kosciuszko is good enough to take on and beat all-comers over the mile – and even further.
So, again I say to his rivals, be afraid. Be very afraid.
What a champion. And to come at these terrible times with the pandemic and all the grim news, racing continues and, thanks to a horse like Lim’s Kosciuszko, our spirits are lifted.
The Maiden event, which is always a good race to watch as it normally throws up stars of the future, was decimated with the withdrawal of two runners – Harvest Time and Black Taipan.
But it did not dilute the efforts of Sir Elton.
Trained and owned by James Peters, who saddled Fountain Of Fame to victory the previous Sunday, Sir Elton had A’Isisuhairi Kasim doing the steering.
And the jockey timed his run to perfection.
Always in the rear bunch of that Polytrack 1,700m race, A’Isisuhairi peeled his mount to the outside on straightening. Like a hot knife through better, he put the favourite, Lim’s Dreamwalker, to the sword close to home to draw away to win with a whole lot of authority.
Peters has got a good one in the yard and he should have plenty of fun with the horse who is named after the Piano Man.
Same with the connections of Lim’s Bestbreaker.
While Lim’s Kosciuszko is the stable star, Lim’s Bestbreaker was juiced, proud and, above all, serious when he put together his fourth win from 19 starts in Race 3.
His last five runs coming into Saturday’s sprint read 4-2-3-1-3. And there was no economy in effort when he took that 1,400m event.
Another one ridden by Beasley, Lim’s Bestbreaker is still a work in progress. He won with unparalleled impudence and the way he worked home suggested he can easily take the mile and beyond.
A heavy drizzle accompanied the opening event, but it did not seem to bother apprentice Simon Kok Wei Hoong and the battling trainer Tan Kah Soon.
Tan saddled Zygarde to land some juicy bets in that 1,200m sprint on the grass.
The medium of a late plunge, which saw his win numbers go down from $140 to $93, Kok rode a copy-book race on the five-year-old.
Jumping from Gate 5, he quickly claimed the rails and stuck to them. That move, which assured him the shortest way home, paid dividends, as Kok was able to push him to the front when a gap opened at the furlong mark.
Riding with the whip, Kok urged Zygarde to the lead and, when push came to shove, they held on to beat Galaxy Star by 3/4 lengths.
It was Kok’s second win for the season and also No. 2 for the trainer.
It was also a red-letter day for Malaysian apprentice Akmazani Mazuki. He opened his Kranji account with an all-the-way triumph on Bizar Wins in Race 8.
Trained and owned by Alwin Tan, Bizar Wins was having his 14th start. He beat Olympia by 23/4 lengths, with Konan finishing third.
Saturday's Singapore Results: results20.pdf
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