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Australian trainer Daniel Meagher is not sure the 1000m of the $70,000 Class 3 race will suit either Watch Out Boss or Lim’s Passion this Saturday, but hopes their sheer consistency can give the yard a much-needed fillip.
The five-year-old duo have six wins split two ways between them, mostly at Class 4 level.
A son of Bullet Train, Watch Out Boss boasts a better record over short sprints - two 1100m wins and one 1000m win. On the other hand, Lim's Passion can go a touch further. The son of Show A Heart recorded two of his wins over seven furlongs, but can still finish over the top of them in sharper events, as shown at his last success in a 1100m race on July 26 when he flew home.
Granted, they have yet to salute in this class, but they have not been beaten far off either.
Watch Out Boss ran a smack-up second to Aramani at his last start in a 1200m race three weeks ago, the fourth time he finished in the money from as many starts at Class 3 level. Lim's Passion probably ran his best race in defeat, which came at his last start when just half-a-length third off top guns like Mr Malek and Rocket Star at his first crack at Class 3 level on August 8.
"Watch Out Boss goes better further (than 1000m), but there were no suitable races in the programme," said Meagher, who also owns Watch Out Boss.
"He has never been out of the first four, always consistent. I bought him for around A$42,000 with Danny Beasley (assistant-trainer), and he was this big, raw individual with a really bad attitude.
"We first sent him to Chris (Meagher, his elder brother) in Melbourne for training and he ran in two starts (both placed) before coming to Singapore.
"Lim's Passion is lightly-raced, and he has had some issues in the past, but he ran well behind good horses like Mr Malek and Rocket Star at his last start, so hopefully he is on the way up.
"I think he is better over the 1200m or further, but those races are later in the month. We have given him two trials after his last start, and the last trial topped him off nicely for the race.
"We freshened him up. He runs well and is a genuine horse."
Watch Out Boss will be ridden by his former apprentice jockey Chin Chee Seng while Lim's Passion will have regular partner Benny Woodworth on board.
The Lim's Stable-owned Lim's Passion incidentally rang up Meagher's first win since racing resumed after the Circuit Breaker in July, but only one other winner, The August, has since come through for a yard that normally visits the winner's circle more regularly. Meagher's score has stopped at 14 since August 8, causing a drop from fourth to ninth place.
Last year, the young trainer achieved his best season with a first podium finish when third on the premiership on 52 winners, bettering his score of 42 winners the previous season, when he finished fifth.
The dynamics have changed this year. Meagher could point the finger at the COVID-19 pandemic, but he would rather keep working hard in the remaining three months of a most offbeat season.
"Everyone would love to get winners. It was great for me last year and the year before," said Meagher who was assistant-trainer to his father John during his 12 years of training at Kranji, before he returned to Singapore to run his own stable in 2016.
"But it has been a testing and challenging year, not just for us, but for all trainers and the whole racing industry globally.
"We're all in the same boat, and we can only deal with the cards handed to us.
"Let's hope for more positivity. We can only work hard and do the best we can for now."
