Kosciuszko's Australian debut

New Paper

15-05-2025

Seven months after bidding farewell to Singapore, Lim's Kosciuszko is finally making his much-awaited Australian debut.
The undisputed King of Kranji in the last three seasons will contest the A$175,000 (S$147,000) Listed Straight Six (1,200m) at Flemington on May 17 at 12.50pm Singapore time.
On his glowing resume of 22 wins, including 10 at Group 1 level, the Kermadec seven-year-old is by far the most credentialled runner in the 16-horse field.
None of his rivals are Melbourne A-listers, although five boast six Group 3 and five Listed wins among them.
The Hayes' Crosshaven is probably the better horse with three Group 3 wins to his name and even a fourth to Ole Kirk in the 2020 Group 1 Caulfield Guineas.
But this is anything but easy kill for Singapore's most famous horse since Rocket Man.
A switch in jurisdiction does not equate to a simple lateral transfer of formline. Simply put, he is now a big fish in a small pond.
A first indicator is the Australian handicappers' downgrade of his lofty Singapore rating from 122 down to 108.
With not that many horses having raced in both countries, it is more of a guestimate hinged around both arbitrary and justified factors.
But as a rule of thumb, the Singapore form is typically inferior by a couple of classes at least. For example, a Singapore Group 1 race would be equivalent to an Australian Group 3 or Listed race.
Another yardstick came from the handful of Kranji top-draw horses who raced in Australia. The likes of Jolie's Shinju, Lim's Cruiser, and more recently, Countofmontecristo and Inferno (renamed The Inferno), all tried their best, but found the competition a lot hotter.
In saying this, horses sometimes do not go by the rulebook. The Inferno did win a Group 2 race, the McEwen Stakes, Bakeel won three races in a row in Adelaide, albeit he stumbled at his first big test in a Listed race.
Named after Australia's highest point, Lim's Kosciuszko is cut from a different cloth. Sheer class could see the two-time Singapore Horse of the Year move mountains.
Trainer Daniel Meagher's prayers for that to happen were answered 22 times in Singapore - but heartbreakingly not at his final run when fifth in the Group 1 Grand Singapore Gold Cup (2,000m) on Oct 5.
However, the Australian, who is now based in Pakenham, is also mindful of two factors: Mother Nature and Father Time.
"He has settled pretty well, even if he's feeling the cold like most of us," said Meagher to Racing.com.
"He's had a lot of conditioning work now, he's had a few jumpouts and trials. So, he's ready to go.
"He's seven years old, I'm just really excited to see the old fellow get back into it in Australia."
Meagher said he had never been guided by Lim's Kosciuszko's work as he has always been laid-back in the morning.
He said the old spark was still there in flashes, but overall, he felt more subdued even by his normal standards.
"He's always been a casual worker. He's a very deceiving horse in his trackwork, but he's been extra casual here," he said.
"In my mind, I always hope he still has that fire in his belly, but he's a race day horse.
"Still, he's usually a bit sharper, but he's been pretty relaxed. I just hope he goes to Flemington this Saturday and gets his old fire in his belly and shows Australia what he can do.
"Jason Maskiell did a lot of work on him. He tested him this morning, he whipped around on him.
"I was quite happy about it, Jason wasn't. But it just shows me he's still got it in him.
"I hope he brings his A game on Saturday. But if he's to head to the Kingsford Smith and the Stradbroke in Brisbane, he's got to run in the first three and run well."
Meagher, who has already saddled two winners since his Australian debut in February, had similar expectations for Lim's Saltoro at his launch in Caulfield on May 10.
While not entirely disappointed with a fifth, he was clearly expecting better.
"It's a different tempo here. He was chasing the leader who is probably a 1,200m horse," he said.
"I thought it was a pass mark. We'll definitely see improvement from that run."
[e-mail]