KOSI IS VOTED CHAMPION YET AGAIN

Four gongs for Lim’s Kosciuszko, big night for Ong, Seow, Nunes and Lim’s Stable

- Michael Lee

Singapore's dominant horse in the last three seasons was regarded as a no-brainer to get the Singapore Horse of the Year nod two years in a row after the first one in 2022.

When master of ceremony Scott Bailey called his name, the 200 guests at the Singapore Turf Club's Derby Room at Kranji rose as one to give him a standing ovation.

Amid the wild cheers, Lim's Stable's main owner Lim Siah Mong relived that magical moment as he received the trophy from STC chairman Niam Chiang Meng.

He was soon joined on stage by trainer Daniel Meagher, his young family, and all his entourage. While it may have felt like deja vu, emotions still ran high, if not higher.

"Thank you to Mr Lim for buying horses like Lim's Lightning (2021 champion) and now Lim's Kosciuszko. We're lucky to train them," said the Australian trainer.

"It's a massive team effort. I don't know if we'll get one like him again.

"With Lightning, we thought we'd not get another Lightning. But we got Kosi, and Caiden just said Lim's Saltoro." Caiden is Meagher's son who, on stage, whispered to his father about the winner of six from seven.

But with racing closing down on Oct 5, he is unlikely to be the heir apparent, more so when Lim's Kosciuszko is still running rings around his rivals in 2024.

The son of Kermadec would have ended 2023 with a perfect sevenfrom-seven, if not for Hongkong Great's daring catch-me-if-youcan tactics in the 2023 Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (1,800m).