Famously named after mountains in Australia and Asia respectively, Lim’s Kosciuszko and Lim’s Saltoro look extremely hard to conquer in the $300,000 Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (1800m) on Saturday.
With an amazing nine Group 1 wins to his name, the two-time Singapore Horse of the Year (2022 and 2023) Lim’s Kosciuszko heads the ratings on 121 and is the benchmark at weight-for-age level.
However, fresh from beating his more lauded stablemate in the Group 1 Raffles Cup (1600m) on 11 August, Lim’s Saltoro is now seen as the heir apparent, and the pair will dominate both the narrative and the betting heading into Saturday’s celebrated feature race.
Furthermore, Lim’s Kosciuszko and Lim’s Saltoro have won 10 of the last 11 Group 1 races at Kranji and have a combined race record of 31 wins and six second placings from 38 starts in Singapore.
A win by either of the Lim Stable’s stars would give owner Lim Siah Mong and trainer Daniel Meagher their first victory in the QEII Cup; the only Group 1 missing from the formidable partnership’s jam-packed trophy cabinet.
But who would win?
“Tough question!” replied Meagher.
“I thought ‘Kosi’ (Lim’s Kosciuszko) would win at his last start (Raffles Cup) at level weights but (Lim’s) Saltoro was bloody hard to pass.
“But this will be his (Lim’s Kosciuszko) race for a number of reasons.
“I think the two weeks between the (Group 1) Lion City Cup (1200m on 28 July) and the Raffles Cup wasn’t ideal, so the four-week break into this (QEII Cup) is perfect and he is probably better suited to 1800m as he gets older.
“He has done everything right leading into Saturday. He stayed in his routine and I was really pleased with his trial the other day (third to Dancing Supremo in trial no 2 on 29 August).
“His body weight is good, looks better in the coat than he did before the Raffles Cup, and he gets his chance after missing in this race (ran second to Hongkong Great) last year.
“In saying that, Lim’s Saltoro just kept improving and he won fair and square in the Raffles Cup.
“He hasn’t gone backwards since; not even close. I never push my horses at the trials but I thought the way he went the other day (finished second to Raising Sixty-One in trial no 3 on 29 August) when the winner went one minute and change (1 min 1.87secs) was very good.
“He’s in a good place mentally and they might not pass him and (jockey) CC (Wong Chin Chuen) again.”
Meanwhile, Meagher was also happy jockey Marc Lerner was “free to ride” Lim’s Kosciuszko after he won an appeal against a one-month suspension for his ride on Lim’s Everest on 25 August.
“The main thing was that (jockey) Zyrul (Nor Azman) bounced back up and wasn’t injured,” he explained after the sentence was reduced to two weeks last Sunday and Lerner will only miss two meetings on 14 and 21 September.
“There were mitigating circumstances, and the panel (of stewards) took into account the closure and the opportunity for Marc to ride the best horse in Singapore at his last two runs.
“This should be a great race as 1800m will also bring horses like Dream Alliance and Bestseller in the reckoning, so Marc will be important as he knows the horse (Lim’s Kosciuszko) so well.
“I think everyone wins but again, the important thing is that Zyrul’s okay.”
Lerner was also thankful for the opportunity to continue his association with Lim’s Kosciuszko and the Frenchman was keen to get back into the Group 1 winner’s circle after his narrow defeat in the Raffles Cup.
“I’m very grateful to be given the chance to stay on ‘Kosi’ but also very mindful that a jockey’s safety is paramount,” said Lerner, who has ridden Lim’s Kosciuszko for five wins from six rides.
“I would very much like to win the QEII Cup for Daniel and Mr Lim as this is the only big race they’ve not won.
“’Kosi’ and Lim’s Saltoro are in very good order. I ride them both in trackwork and both trialled well the other day, so hopefully one can get the job done.
“I honestly thought I had won Raffles Cup but got that wrong. There were mixed emotions of course as I’m very competitive, but it was a good result for the team with Lim’s Saltoro’s win.
“’Kosi’ has two more runs to go in Singapore and it would be good to win this race (QEII Cup) and maybe one more.”
Singapore racing comes to an end after Kranji holds its final race meeting on 5 October, which will feature the Group 1 Grand Singapore Gold Cup (2000m) on its race card.
By Larry Foley
