IN-FORM KIM EMPEROR STAMPS HIS AUTHORITY AT BARRIER TRIALS

KL may also soon go 'wild' with trainer Ooi's new yard addition

- Brian Miller

It must be good to own a racehorse like Kim Emperor whose record reads: Eight starts for three wins and a second.

Trainer Richard Lines does have a good one in the yard and if further convincing was needed, Kim Emperor showed up at the trials run on Nov 25 and he came away with flying colours.

Ridden by Jackson Low Kang Cheng and up against the likes of Antipodean and Te Akau Ben, Kim Emperor put on a show to win his hit-out by three lengths.

On a track rated yielding, the Highland Reel five-year-old clocked a modest time of Imin 3.19sec.

But, more than anything else, it was the manner of the trial win which would have send a strong signal he was ready to rumble.

Jumping from Gate Five in that seven-horse affair, Kim Emperor sat third on settling and, with 600m to travel, he was still two lenghts behind front runners, Leiniao (Lim Shung Uai) and Battle Cry (Mohd Zaki).

He crept closer on straightening and went full throttle at the 150m mark.

He eventually put daylight between himself and the fast-finishing Antipodean (Jordan Mallyon) who was having barrier practice. Te Akau Ben (Khaw Choon Kit) was a further neck behind.

But, at the end of that 1,000m dash, it was all about Kim Emperor.