Lim’s Lightning in a class of his own
Meagher also wins with Watch Out Boss to move up third in trainers' table
Once again, Lim's Lightning demonstrated his class, as he toyed with his Kranji Stakes A rivals for an authoritative victory over 1,400m on Saturday.
It was the Daniel Meagher-trained and Lim's Stable-owned former Singapore champion juvenile's third success from four starts since he returned from Australia, where he had eight starts for an ordinary victory at Werribee.
It would have been four from four had the Group 1 Lion City Cup winner won the $1 million Group 1 Kranji Mile on May 22. He lost by just a head to the Donna Logan-trained Minister.
In 14 starts all-up at Kranji, starting from May 2018, Lim's Lightning has notched seven wins, a second and three thirds for $880,000 in prize money.
One of the two highest-rated runners with a rating of 100 in Saturday's eight-horse field, the five-year-old stood out on class and punters made him the even-money favourite.
He duly obliged, but his win was easier than anticipated.
Jockey Danny Beasley could afford to bide his time until the final 300m, where he unleashed a lapful of horse to put his suffering rivals out of their misery.
The race started with joint-topweight-cum triple Group 1 winner Top Knight being slightly slow off the mark.
Passport To Rome, a last-start runner-up to rising sprinter-miler Mr Malek, did not break that quickly but was nudged up to set the pace.
He was flanked by the $16 second favourite, Kharisma, on his inside and Lim's Lightning on his outside. Then came the Ricardo Le Grange-trained trio - Pennywise, King Louis and Churchill. Gold Strike and Top Knight brought up the rear.
Passport To Rome raised the tempo to lead by a neat length passing the halfway mark from Lim's Lightning. Kharisma followed another length behind.
SAFELY HOME
Without lifting a finger, Beasley tagged along until 300m out. He then asked and Lim's Lightning gave plenty. The race was as good as over.
Trapped behind Passport To To Rome and Lim's Lightning at the top of the straight, jockey Wong Chin Chuen extricated Kharisma out for a run. But the winner, who was my best bet, was safely home by 11/2 lengths.
Top Knight, under the urgings of 4kg-claiming apprentice jockey Jerlyn Seow, made up good ground late, like he usually did, but failed to beat Passport To Rome for third.
Lim's Lightning clocked 1 min 22.29sec with 58kg on his back.
Meagher gave his charge and Beasley full marks for the win. He reckoned Kharisma could not have caught up, even if he had a clearer run.
"Dan gave him a very soft run. He only hit him a couple of times," said the Australian.
"He had 58kg and gave the runner-up 4.5kg. Even if he had come out, my horse would still have won. He carried the weight well and was too good.
"It's a great win and a great team effort. Everybody's done a great job with this horse."
The plan now is to get Lim's Lightning spot-on for the $300,000 Group 1 Raffles Cup over 1,600m on Sept 18.
"We'll get him ready for August in a Class 1 race over 1,200m and then he'll go for the Raffles Cup," said Meagher.
Two races later, the Meagher-Beasley combination celebrated a double with the $15 favourite, Watch Out Boss, in the $50,000 Class 4 Div 2 event over the Polytrack 1,200m.
Unlike Lim's Lightning, Watch Out Boss had to work doubly hard for a short-head victory over $330 outsider First Chief, who paid $91 for a place.
It was Watch Out Boss' fourth success from 25 starts, He was second six times and third six times. He has amassed $225,000 for Meagher, who owns the horse himself.
With the double, Meagher has overtaken Stephen Gray by a winner to be third in the trainers' premiership with 17 wins.
Reigning champion Michael Clements saddled a double - Starharmony and So Hi Class - to stretch his season's tally to 41 winners. He is six winners ahead of Mark Walker, who also had a brace with Sacred Gift and Exdream.
For Beasley, his double has taken him to 23 winners, just one behind countryman Vlad Duric in the jockeys' table.
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