Lim’s Shot to ‘racing stardom’
In winning Saturday's opener, Lim's Shot became the first winner after 99 days of no Singapore racing at Kranji and lots of uncertainty due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
It might have come in a modest $30,000 Class 5 Div 1 race over the Poly 1,200m, but the event was still welcomed with a mixed sense of relief and excitement all round - never mind if the raucous cheers were glaringly missing.
Racing resumed behind closed doors with safety protocols in place, such as social distancing and temperature taking for staff and participants.
French jockey Marc Lerner and trainer Jerome Tan - the winning combo with Lim's Shot - went on to grab the next event with another close call.
The Brotherhood just beat hot favourite and newcomer Maceo by a short head.
"We needed that badly, the return to racing, and of the course the win, two of them, some more. Both the horses, the owners, Marc and myself needed that," said an ecstatic Tan.
"Lim's Shot has slipped down the grade and was in good form. The Brotherhood got lucky. We were worried the favourite would be in front a long way, but my horse got there in time by a short head.
"He worked well through the week, ran in two barrier trials and we were quite happy with him going into the race.
"It's a great start and I'd like to thank the Singapore Turf Club for bringing the races back and my owners for their patience, and of course, my workers for putting in so much effort during the break."
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
