Macau imports take the feature races in Malaysia
Arigato and Daylight snap up the title races in Kuala Lumpur and Penang respectively
KUALA LUMPUR - The Lim Shung You-trained Arigato ($24) led his rivals on a merry chase in the rain to win the RM50,000 (S$15,000) Sungai Besi Autoworld Cup over 1,200m at Sungai Besi on Dec 22.
The nine-time winner in Macau had attempted to do the same in the RM100,000 Singapore Pools Trophy (1,300m) on his Malaysian debut in Ipoh last Nov 3 but failed to run on in the straight to finish fourth to Shang Chi.
Obviously benefiting from that run, the Charm Spirit gelding went straight to the front again in yielding condition after the jump in the Supreme A set-weight race.
The six-year-old was always nicely clear of the chasing Good Fight with the rest of the nine-horse field struggling to keep up on the wet track.
Good Fight came within a length of the leader at the 300m but Arigato, ridden by Lim Shung Uai, found another gear and kicked away in the final 200m to win convincingly by 2½ lengths. Sincerely came home second, well ahead of Pacific Padrino.
“It was always the plan to lead in the race,” said jockey Lim, who also rode the gelding in his debut.
“As it was raining, I decided to up the tempo as it would be an advantage for the front runners in this situation.
“I knew someone was coming up to me at the top of the straight but my horse responded and went strongly to the line. It was an easy win.”
Arigato was purchased for NZ$150,000 (S$115,025) at the New Zealand Ready To Run sale and enjoyed two very successful seasons in Macau, winning nine races from 1,200m to 1,500m.
In Penang, another winner from Macau, Daylight ($39), won the RM150,000 Xmas Stakes over 1,300m on Dec 22.
The Wayne Lim-trained seven-year-old ridden by P. Haris beat Blue Idol by¾-length in the feature race. It was his first race outside of Kuala Lumpur, already having five-runs in Sungai Besi with a third and a fourth placing to show.
A winner over 2,000m in Australia before heading to Macau, the son of Pierro raced with distinction at Taipa racecourse with four wins including the Macau Derby Trial (1,500m). He also ran second in the Macau Guineas (1,500m) and came third in the 2022 Macau Derby (1,800m).
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