Trelawney savour unexpected Singapore Derby triumph

“He’s a horse we’ve followed closely all the way through, and he’s just kept going from strength to strength.
Brent and Cherry Taylor freely admit that they were not expecting the Singapore Derby to be added to the extraordinary list of Trelawney Stud successes over the last 12 months.
As well as breeding and racing a number of standout performers this season such as Two Illicit (Gr. 1 Captain Cook Stakes, Gr. 2 Travis Stakes), Zayydani (Gr. 2 Matriarch Stakes, Listed Ballarat Cup), Pareanui Bay (Gr. 2 Sarten Memorial, Listed Trevor and Corallie Eagle Memorial), Juan Diva (Gr. 3 WJ Healy Stakes), Cheaperthandivorce (Gr. 3 Waikato Cup) and the multiple Group placegetter Samiam Seussie, the Taylors have watched with pride as Lim’s Kosciuszko carried the Trelawney brand to eight impressive victories from his first 11 starts in Singapore.
But the Kermadec gelding went to a new level on Sunday, stepping out over 1800 metres and scoring a tenacious victory in the prestigious S$400,000 Singapore Derby at Kranji.
Passed in when offered by Trelawney at Karaka 2019 and at the Ready to Run Sale later that year, Lim’s Kosciuszko was later sold privately to Singapore after winning a trial at Te Teko for trainer Clayton Chipperfield.
“We were so excited to watch that Singapore Derby win on Sunday,” Brent Taylor told RaceForm. “He’s a horse we’ve followed closely all the way through, and he’s just kept going from strength to strength.
“Frankly, we were surprised to see him win over that distance. Up until that point, he’d never looked likely to get past a mile, but then he stepped up and did the job in the Singapore Derby over 1800 metres. It was clearly a fantastic training effort by Daniel Meagher, a great ride from Danny Beasley, and they got a fantastic result.
“He’s won nine from 12 now, with a couple of placings, and he’s been down the track only once in his career. He’s really repaid his owners for their decision to buy the horse, which has been great to see.
“He was quite impressive in his trial here, and we thought we had him sold to Hong Kong, but it turned out that he was just a little bit too small for them over there. But then we ended up selling him to his Singapore owners through Phill Cataldo, and it’s worked out really well.”
Lim’s Kosciuszko’s sire Kermadec was bred by the Hawkins family’s Llanhennock Trust and offered by Wentwood Grange at Karaka, where Mulcaster Bloodstock bought him for $260,000.
A high-class winner of the Gr. 1 Doncaster Handicap and George Main Stakes, Kermadec now stands at Darley Stud, and his 53 winners include Group One stars Montefilia (Flight Stakes, Spring Champion Stakes, Metropolitan Handicap, Ranvet Stakes) and Willowy (VRC Oaks).
Lim’s Kosciuszko is the first foal out of the Keeper mare Jacquetta, who won four races for trainer, breeder and part-owner Graeme Rogerson including the Listed Welcome Stakes at Riccarton. She also placed in the Gr. 2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes at Trentham.
Trelawney paid $120,000 to buy Jacquetta from the 2016 National Broodmare Sale at Karaka.
“We were looking to expand our broodmare band at that stage, and she caught our eye as a stakes-winning two-year-old,” Taylor said. “She also had quite a nice tabulated pedigree, without being overly sexy, and we thought we could breed ourselves some nice racetrack performers with her.
“That’s how it’s turned out. We haven’t been richly rewarded in the sale ring so far, but ultimately we’re all about producing runners on the racetrack, and this horse has got the mare off to a great start.
“Since then, she produced a So You Think foal that we lost, and then a couple of Almanzor fillies that we sold at Karaka. One of those is with Stephen Marsh, and the other one’s gone to Australia.
“I think the Ocean Park foal that we’ve got on the ground now is probably the pick of her progeny so far on type, so that’s exciting.”
Another source of excitement for Trelawney is the addition of Group One winner Two Illicit to their broodmare band, and the high-class daughter of Jimmy Choux is set to head across the Tasman for her first mating.
“She’s been such a wonderful mare to race, and we’re excited to breed from her,” Taylor said. “It’s rare that you can head to the races so confident that a horse would give their absolute all in your colours every time, and she was one that never really let us down at all.
“She’ll head over to Australia some time in August, and we’ll find an appropriate horse for her to go to for her first mating. It’ll definitely be one of the proven sires.”