By Larry Foley
Trainer Richard Lim hopes for the best when the two highest-rated horses, Songgong Hera and Chicago Star, in his yard runs in the $70,000 Class 3 race over 1200m on the Polytrack this Saturday.
The Singaporean trainer may not have a horse of King And King’s calibre in his stable yet – who Lim famously rode to victory in front of her highness in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup in 2006 (then a Group 2 race) – but among the 31 horses in his care, there is a good profile of ratings.
With a rating of 74 and 73 respectively, Songgong Hera and Chicago Star are at the top of the list.
While the barrier gods have not been kind to the pair (Songgong Hera drew barrier no. 12 and Chicago Star is in barrier no. 14), both are in form and should be more than competitive in what looks like a wide open race on paper.
“The barriers makes it tough for my two horses,” said Lim on Wednesday afternoon.
“With Songgong Hera, (jockey) Simon (Kok Wei Hoong) will just have to roll the dice.
“If he gets some luck early and finds cover, he will be every chance as the race suits and he is going well.
“Chicago Star will probably just take his medicine and go back.
“In Class 4, he is the one the others chase but in Class 3, he has to do the chasing as they are just quicker horses at this level.
“But hopefully (jockey) Ronnie (Woodworth) will have some luck with traffic and he can finish off the race.”
Lim has nine runners entered for Saturday – a very good horse-to-runner ratio for any stable – and while most have some chance, the fact that jockey Vlad Duric will steer Happy Friday on the quick back-up in the $30,000 Class 5 race over 1100m on the Polytrack came under notice.
“He was disappointing last week, that’s for sure,” said Lim of Happy Friday’s unplaced run in a similar affair last Sunday.
“When (apprentice jockey) Jerlyn (Seow) rode him two starts ago, he got too far back but finished off strongly. So I told (jockey) Benny (Woodworth) to ride him closer last start but he had nothing left.
“The horse pulled up well and Vlad will suit him, so he should show his best.”
Another interesting runner is the debutant Pure Perfection, who may have admirers at odds on trial form in the $75,000 Novice race over 1100m on the Polytrack.
“The race is strong but as a four-year-old, there are not many options for a maiden,” he said.
“But he gets in well at the weights (55 kgs) and his first trial with (jockey) Ronnie (Stewart) was good.
“We have been working on what gear is best for him and he will have his first start wearing the tongue tie and ear muffs. We hoped that from gate 1, (jockey) Bernardo (Pinheiro) can take a sit and work home.”
Barely nine months into his senior training tenure, Lim is more than happy with what he is starting to build.
“Yes I cannot complain as it’s my first season and the numbers are good,” said the ex-jockey-turned-trainer who has won 12 winners in his first year of training.
“I really have to thank the owners who put their faith in me in my first year as a trainer and with results, I hope they continue to trust and support me.
“I try to keep only horses that can pay their way for owners so we will have some turnover but it keeps the stable fresh.
“We have another newcomer trialling tomorrow – King’s Gambit for the Everest Racing Stable – and there’s a few more newcomers in work, so hopefully the stable can keep on improving.”
