3 minute read

Trainer Jason Lim had every reason to feel that relative newcomer in the horse owner ranks, the Crystal Dragon Stable, will get third time lucky with Crystal Warrior.

Hopes soared high when the new owner's first acquisition Crystal Dragon won second-up in March last year, but after that early promise, the four-year-old son of Jimmy Creed went backwards.

Next one out was Crystal Sixty, a son of Exceed And Excel who arrived with a resume of one win at country track Terang in four starts for Mornington trainer Matt Laurie.

In four Kranji starts, the four-year-old has yet to open his account even if his last run did give a glimmer of hope.

Lim is persuaded it is the Singaporean outfit's third buy who may well go to show that a horse with a good ROI can pop up.

From Crystal Warrior 's two dominant all-the-way winning barrier trials, including the latest (donning blinkers) on Tuesday for an aggregate margin in excess of 11 lengths, Lim is keeping his fingers crossed the third Crystal will sparkle the brightest.

"After his last win (BM70 race over 1200m in Doomben on November 3), I told the owners to buy him," said Lim.

"The previous owners were selling him as they didn't want him as a stallion prospect anymore. I told the owners there were plenty of upsides on this horse.

"That was a horse who ran third in a Group 3 race in Rosehill (as I Am Swerving in the Pago Pago Stakes over 1200m in March, 2020 when trained by Team Hawkes before he eventually went to leading Brisbane trainer Bryan Guy).

"The owners are very nice people. They haven't had much luck with their first two horses, but I'm hoping this one will be a much better horse – they deserve to have a good horse."

Lim will throw the I Am Invincible three-year-old in at the deep end in the Class 4 race over 1100m, three weeks ahead of his main target, the Group 3 Singapore Three-Year-Old Sprint (1200m) on June 27.

"He will have his prep run next week, and he will then run in the 3YO Sprint. We bought him with the intention of running him in the 3YO series," said the third-season trainer.

The Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge is unfortunately an abridged version this year with the cancellation of the traditional third Leg, the Group 1 Singapore Guineas (1600m). The second Leg, the Group 2 Singapore Three-Year-Old Classic (1400m), remains and is due on July 18.

It's unlikely Lim would worry too much about the axing of the mile classic given Crystal Warrior seems to fit the bill of the pure sprinting machine, especially after his gelding operation.

Lim, who honed his craft in north-eastern New South Wales in Murwillumbah, also gave credit to his 'alma mater' for the good nick his new horses arrive in.

"When Crystal Warrior was still a stallion in Australia, he was not so agile and was a bit light-framed," said Lim.

"He has changed to another level since he was gelded. I sent him to my former master Darren Graham in Murwillumbah before he was shipped over, like I've been doing for most of my horses in the last five years, like Songgong Hera and Crystal Dragon for example.

"Darren has a fantastic new property with paddocks and modern facilities, which I've visited many times when I go to Australia. I would just drive up there, stay at his place and we would have dinner and drinks together.

"Darren is a great horseman. He keeps my horses ticking over to the day they are sent to Singapore.

"Currently, I've got a two-year-old by Love Conquers All who's still with him, but yes, he's really done a great job with this one (Crystal Warrior).

"I also think the blinkers made this horse much sharper in his barrier trial today. He will wear them at his first start next week."

A handy pointer to the jockey booked at the debut race was the two barrier trials where the in-form Danny Beasley was aboard, but win, lose or draw, he won't be staying on in the Sprint.

"Danny will ride him next week, but not in the 3YO race. He's committed to Lim's Kosciuszko," said Lim.

"I totally understand that, and will have to find another jockey."

The Australian, who won on Lim's Kosciuszko at the weekend, would not swap that ride for anything in the world, but all the same, he is still thrilled to have been picked as the pilot at Crystal Warrior's first run.

"He was nice and impressive this morning. I rode him at all his three trials, including a PRNRT (pre new registration trial), and also galloped him in between, so I've had a few sits on him," said Beasley.

"The blinkers really improved him this morning. He can be quite excitable and highly-strung, but he seemed to behave better today – he was a lot more relaxed, his energy was better contained.

"He can now really show what he can do on the track. He also ran good time (59.75 seconds).

"I know he got fired up a bit and was quite a few lengths clear, but he was always relaxed out in front. He was not charging and was well contained.

"He's still a young horse and is a big boy. He can be quite a handful, but the good thing is we still have no crowds, there won't be any crowd to upset him.

"Hopefully, things will be all good for him next week."