'Salute' to horseman caught in crosshairs

In the twinkling of an eye, it is all over, bar the shouting.

Life can deal cruel cards and destroy dreams suddenly and swiftly.

Already reeling from the crisis rocking Singapore racing, up-and-coming Kranji trainer Jason Lim has unfortunately taken the full brunt of yet another curveball.

And it all happened when he was finally riding on the crest of a wave.

The Australian-trained Singaporean, 41, has hogged the limelight in 2023 with a relatively small (only 30) but highly performing yard.

After hovering around the top five for a while, he deservedly slipped on the yellow jersey on June 17, thanks to a four-timer.

With star galloper Super Salute, a seven-in-a-row victor, spearheading the charge for Jason, the pace at his Kranji stable had been relentless right from the get-go.

The flurry of wins – 28 from only 140 runners for a stunning strike rate of 20 per cent – has fanned local racegoers’ hopes of seeing another home-grown champion trainer crowned since Alwin Tan claimed the title in 2016.

But Jason’s hopes of challenging his established counterparts Michael Clements, Tim Fitzsimmons and Donna Logan for the 2023 honours were blown on Wednesday.

He was slapped with an 18-month disqualification with immediate effect, following an inquiry into his charge Takhi testing positive to a banned substance – boldenone sulphate, a steroid – in January.

I have known Jason for two decades, watching his tentative steps into the equine world when he was legged up on thoroughbreds at the now-defunct Australian Racing Institute (ARI) at Murwillumbah, a sleepy town in northern New South Wales.

Chief ARI instructor Darren Graham had seen potential in him then, and singled him out among the half a dozen or more pioneer batch of trainees.

It was a hard slog to get to where he is today – especially as he is the last man standing with his batch-mates like Mok Zhan Lun and Erik Teo having left the industry.

Jason has always been a go-getter. But today, the devout Christian must still be in total shock as the “stop” sign stares him in the face.

Just when Lady Luck started to smile on him in 2023 – Group race breakthrough with Super Salute and his well-documented success with tried horses (Super Salute himself, General Command, Cosmic Dancer) from digital sales – he was hit by two tsunamis in the space of six weeks.

The father of one (son Xander, after whom his horse Boy Xander is named) was one of the most vocal opponents of the Singapore Turf Club closure from the day the bombshell was dropped on June 5.

But this latest spanner in the works is even more damning.

Jason can file an appeal by Friday, 5pm, or move on. But, with racing signing off on Oct 5, 2024, the fight to clear his name seems futile – even as the clock is ticking for the rest of the trainers at Kranji.

While Jason is realistic about the Government’s decision being cast in stone, he has been on a crusade to highlight the plight of stable staff and horses if the industry self-implodes before the deadline.

I am not surprised by his grit and resilience. I saw those traits first-hand during my regular visits to ARI in 2004 when I was a racing journalist with The New Paper.

He slogged in the unforgiving Australian outback, absorbing every morsel of equine wisdom he could glean from tough-as-old-boots, weather-beaten horsemen.

Somehow, such hardscrabble life has instilled in him that fair-dinkum Aussie battler spirit, which marries well with our deep-seated Asian belief in dint of hard work.

Life is fickle. He was first brought to his knees when the Government pulled the rug out from under Singapore racing.

A more personal and ignominious setback in the shape of a disqualification has cut him off at the knees completely.

Now, we can only hope for Jason’s indomitable spirit to shine through in the darkest period of his life.