Lim’s Kosciuszko wins third Lion City Cup

[Wandering Eyes]

Feature wins do not come easy but Trelawney Stud bred Lim’s Kosciuszko (Kermadec) made his win in Sunday’s S$300,000 Lion City Cup (1200m) look like a walk in the park.

That was also Lim’s Kosciuszko’s third consecutive win in the Lion City Cup since he dominated Singapore’s premier sprint race in the past two years, which was an achievement given only Singapore’s legendary sprinter, Rocket Man had more Lion City Cup wins to his name with four wins from 2009 to 2012.

Yet, the win on Sunday was arguably the easiest watch of them all. The son of Kermadec and the Keeper mare Jacquetta, Lim’s Kosciuszko gave his opposition no look-in from the start after jockey Marc Lerner got busy early on the odds on favourite before settling him in second on Sky Eye’s flank.

After the Frenchman gave Lim’s Kosciuszko some reins at the 350m, he quickly put two lengths on Ghalib and Ace Of Diamonds while some racegoers eagerly waited to see if Golden Monkey could make inroads late.

The Tim Fitzsimmons-trained gelding, who finished third and second in this race in 2022 and 2023 respectively, tried valiantly but the ground he had to make up in the final 250m was a bridge too far, hence an eased-down Lim’s Kosciuszko won by just under two lengths.

“He’s done everything he possibly could and he’s just a little superstar,” said winning trainer Daniel Meagher.

“He has his little issues and needed to be kissed and cuddled, but come race day, he just performs like no other.

“It’s very special to have him and I don’t know if I’ll ever get another one.

“Marc held onto him as much as he could (in the straight) and we’ve got bigger races in mind, so we didn’t need him to have a tough run.

“It’s a good preparation for the three big races coming up.”

Meagher was referring to the Raffles Cup (1600m) on 11 August, the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (1800m) on 7 September and the Grand Singapore Gold Cup (2000m) on 5 October.

Lerner concurred he did all he could to hold onto his mount for as long as possible, albeit the circumstances were against him.

“He (Lim’s Kosciuszko) was a bit fresh today,” said Lerner, who knocked in a double on the day.

“But we were expecting the Pacific horse (Pacific Vampire) to go forward, so you always have a plan B, C, D and as many as you want!

“He was the best horse in the race, so I rode him accordingly.

“He got the job done because I believe he’s not one or two, but many classes above the rest.”

Bred by Brent and Cherry Taylor’s Trelawney Stud, who on Saturday were named New Zealand Breeder of the Year, Lim’s Kosciuszko was passed in twice at the New Zealand Bloodstock Sales and then sold privately after winning his first and only trial in New Zealand when under the care of Clayton Chipperfield.

With 21 wins from 25 starts, Lim’s Kosciuszko has amassed over S$3.3 million in earnings for the Lim’s Stable.

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