AHTIMS KLIS BACK ON THE LIST FOR OLD TIMES' SAKE

Former top mare regains form to give Coetzee 1st leg of Ipoh double

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Ahtims Klis made amends from her last-start defeat to win the RM35,500 (S$10,800) Class 4A (1,400m) handicap in Ipoh on Jan 5.

The nine-year-old Playing God mare finished down the field in the RM150,000 Class 4 Xmas Stakes (1,300m) in Penang on Dec 22.

She went off as the second favourite but was slow into stride and lost several lengths at the start. She ran ninth to Daylight.

Under trainer Kevin Coetzee's stable apprentice Syafifie Zailuddin this time round, Ahtims Klis jumped well with the six-horse field and settled in fourth spot for most of the journey till the home straight.

That was when Syafifie took her out from the rails to go after pacemaker Golden Lightning (Lim Aun Kean).

Ahtims Klis ($12) collared the Wayne Lim-trained galloper at the 400m.

The pair then matched stride for stride until the 200m, when Ahtims Klis started to pull away and went on to seal the win by 1¾ lengths.

Golden Lightning held on for second place, with Ocean Low (Jackson Low Kang Cheng) third another gap of nearly five lengths away.

"My instructions are to jump well but hold and settle behind the pace," said Syafifie.