The sky's the limit for Lim's Kosciuszko

Kranji's latest poster horse Lim's Kosciuszko's seven wins-from-seven starts feat certainly left trainer Daniel Meagher and jockey Danny Beasley in awe on Saturday.

Lim's Stable's newest star is now at the gates of elite racing.

The horse, named after Australia's highest peak, has collected more than $270,000 in prize money from an amazing run that began in a Restricted Maiden race over 1,200m last March.

The four-year-old keeps stepping up. He nearly rewrote the 1,200m long course record on Saturday. He won with some petrol left in the tank when staving off the fast-finishing Gold Star.

His 1min 08.65sec in the $85,000 Class 2 race was just 0.50sec outside Spalato's record set on Oct 26, 2014.

He will join Meagher's other superstar - 2021 Horse of the Year Lim's Lightning - in the $1 million Group 1 Kranji Mile over 1,600m on May 21.

"This horse has been teaching me a lot, basically on how to keep him right on top," said the Australian trainer.

"He's ultra-competitive, but he did score a soft win when Dan eased him up. There's more to him, but he's so easy to read.

"He can get above himself and we have to keep him happy till race day. But we saw what he can do today, the sky's the limit with him."

Meagher is looking at the Class 1 race over 1,200m on March 19 as Lim's Kosciuszko's next assignment. If he goes through his grades, it is on to the Kranji Mile.

That is when it will pose a problem for Beasley - Lim's Kosciuszko or Lim's Lightning? The latter finished a narrow second to Minister last May.

"But we're not at that stage yet. Let's just enjoy this seven from seven," said Meagher.

Beasley was also blown away by Lim's Kosciuszko's impeccable record, putting the horse five wins away from Better Than Ever's Malayan Racing Association record of 12 wins in a row.

But what really had Beasley shaking his head in disbelief was the instant response he received when he stepped on the gas at the 400m mark.

"From the 400m to the 200m, he probably did it in 91/2 seconds when I said 'let's go'," said the Australian, the runner-up to apprentice jockey Hakim Kamaruddin in the premiership last season. He is trailing Brazilian Manoel Nunes by just a winner this year (14-15).

"I then switched him off knowing he had the race won. Don't get me wrong, the runner-up ran a great race. But I was in neutral gear, so to speak, inside the last 200m."

From his handy barrier, Lim's Kosciuszko led. But, as expected, he soon had Makkem Lad and Fame Star for company, almost three abreast.

Shouldering only 54.5kg, the Kermadec four-year-old was almost toying with the opposition as he ambled into the home straight, all coiled up for his coup de grace.

The 200m blitz that Beasley waxed lyrical about soon left his eight challengers - who included Group nobility like Minister and Mr Malek and other top performers like Rocket Star and Makkem Lad - breathless.

Only the less-heralded Gold Star jumped out of the pack to pull some ground off. But Beasley had already throttled the lever down.

Lim's Kosciuszko held Gold Star at bay by half a length, much to the chagrin of Kranji's newcomer, Australian jockey Jake Bayliss, who was making his Singapore debut.

The battle for third place was won by the resuming Rocket Star, who lost no admirers with his first-up effort from a 71/2-month layoff due to respiratory issues.

Unsurprisingly, with the sizzling pace set from the get-go, Lim's Kosciuszko almost set a record for the 1,200m trip on the long course.

"That has to be close to record time," said Beasley, while wondering what could have been if he had not lifted the foot off the pedal.

"He's a horse who keeps doing his job so professionally. He's very tough this horse and I'm not surprised he ran (that) time.

"The only thing was he got a break of 21/2 weeks between races, and he did really well after his last win.

"We would have been more confident if it was two weeks, as we have to keep holding him together for a few days longer, keep him cool.

"But it's worked out okay in the end. I had no plan to ride him like that, but he began the best and crossing the horses on his inside was easy.

"I was expecting Fame Star and Makkem Lad to come around, but my bloke can keep building momentum when pressured. He is very competitive and just wants to race.

"I tried to keep him as balanced as I could and didn't let him go until the straight. To win seven from seven and the way he did it showed he was definitely above average."

Well, like Meagher said, the sky is now the limit for Lim's Kosciuszko.