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An emotional Daniel Meagher was trying to take it all in after he notched his first Gr.1 success as a trainer in his own right with Lim’s Lightning (Lope De Vega) bursting late onto the scene to claim the S$300,000 Gr.1 Lion City Cup yesterday.
Meagher, the youngest of Australian Hall of Fame trainer and former Kranji trainer John Meagher’s three sons, spent 11 years in Singapore honing his craft with his father.
He was only two when Meagher Snr won the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup with What A Nuisance (St Puckle) in 1985, but he certainly picked up a few tools of the trade when he grew up and moved to Singapore in 2000.
Together with brothers Paul and Chris, he helped apply the polish to seven Gr.1 winners at Kranji, the pinnacle being no doubt Kim Angel (Serheed) in the Gr.1 Singapore Gold Cup in 2000, when ridden by Mick Dittman, who funnily enough, would go on to have a hand in Meagher Jr’s first Gr.1 win 21 years later.
While the knockers still had their doubts whether the 5YO could reproduce the same spark at level weights second-up on a much bigger stage, against some of Singapore’s finest sprinters like Grand Koonta (Dark Angel), Fame Star (Twirling Candy) and Zac Kasa (Reset), Meagher was confident his new stable star had not fluked that win, and would present himself as an even fitter horse on the day.
The 37YO handler was proven right. The once-forgotten former juvenile champion and Gr.2 Aushorse Golden Horseshoe winner (when then prepared by Steven Burridge) had again been neglected by most punters (he was sent out at lukewarm odds of S$42, a steal for a last-start winner) at this Gr.1 assignment, but Meagher has woven his special brand of magic and patience to bring him back to his best when it mattered.
One week before the race, he had said it would be a dream come true if Lim’s Lightning wins, on Saturday, he was standing in the limelight, pinching himself. Choking back tears, Meagher was above all thankful to the people behind his success and that first Gr.1 breakthrough.
Another fleet-footed customer Celavi (Fighting Sun) soon came injecting more speed by joining the fray, but the leader looked unfazed and in the zone, while Zac Kasa was smoking his pipe in his first-class seat right behind, and the other well-backed grey, favourite Grand Koonta was about to set the wheels in motion a few strides away. Turning for home, Celavi was the first to hoist the white flag. Zac Kasa was promptly revved up as he was peeled out into an inviting gap, but despite Lerner’s urgings, looked flat as a pancake.
Fame Star was holding sway with aplomb until Grand Koonta was hunted up to stake his claim on the outside. An epic battle between the two top fancies was on the cards, but they had not reckoned with ‘lightning’ striking twice (Fame Star was just nutted out by Lim’s Lightning at his last start). Though inclined to lug in a fraction, Lim’s Lightning was driven at full pelt towards the line for an almost carbon-copy rendition of his last win. Rocket Star (Star Witness), who had latched onto Lim’s Lightning’s heels from a long way out, made it interesting with a surging run, but could only finish within three-quarter length, beating three others to the runner-up spot in a close battle for the minors.