Trainer Jason Lim and the Al Rashid Stable will kick off their new partnership with their first two runners this Saturday.
The global Middle East outfit owned by Fahad al Rashid penetrated the Singapore market with a buying spree that heralded them as a significant player, mainly between leading trainers Mark Walker and Michael Clements, but it has been well documented they have recently downsized their ownership base at Kranji.
The writing was on the wall last year, mostly in the wake of the last two COVID-19-plagued years, but Walker's exit in December has in a way sped up the process.
They didn't wind up completely. Most of their horses (more than a dozen) were put on the market (some had even left for Dubai earlier), and sold to either new interests here or in Malaysia while Clements was left with only four Al Rashid's, mostly recent buys.
The remaining three, Hamama, Qaidoom and Kinver Edge, all US-breds, have been entrusted into Lim, a trainer they were approaching for the first time, with the former two, both mares, eventually becoming the inaugural starters in Saturday's $50,000 Class 4 Division 2 race over 1200m and $30,000 Class 5 Division 1 race over 1000m respectively.
The two mares boast one win apiece, but Lim is aware they are no world beaters. From a more far-reaching outlook, the fourth-year handler still relishes the opportunity of training for the Kuwaiti owner, even if the timing of their union came about in tough times.
"The Al Rashid Stable gave me a call one day and asked me if I was interested in three horses, Hamama, Qaidoom and Kinver Edge," said Lim.
"I said 'yes for sure, why not?'. I'm someone who's always open to new owners, especially when some of them may be looking for a different type of training.
"They actually had two other horses they had already sold to AJ's Stable, and who also ended up with me. AJ had one horse with me before and is now in Malaysia, and he renamed the two Al Rashid horses Gold Ten Sixty One (ex Dinar) and Kranji Jewel (ex Maaroof).
"Both Qaidoom (four-year-old by Noble Mission, a full brother to Frankel) and Hamama (x Shackleford, five-year-old) are well, and between the two, I think Qaidoom will be competitive in her race.
"She gets a claim (four kilos from Akmazani Mazuki) and has been working really well. Hamama has also been working well, and Marc Lerner rides her.
"Both came to me in pretty good condition, and that's why I decided not to trial them. They are both well, and I can only hope they put in a good run for the owner."
On the other hand, Lim will keep Kinver Edge at the stable for a while longer. When the Speightstown six-year-old is race-ready, he may well turn into a Polytracker having won his two races on the all-weather, dirt at Meydan (1200m) in Dubai and Polytrack at Chelmsford (1600m) in UK.
"Kinver Edge had an injury to his tendon. He's back in trackwork, but it'll be quite a while before we race him," he said.
As for the two horses who used to race in Al Rashid's brown silks but will now come under the AJ's Stable's pink and white colours made famous by Ararat Lady, Kranji Jewel, an unraced four-year-old by First Samurai, would be the closest to race.
A one-time winner by Dalghar at his debut in August, Gold Ten Sixty-One met with a slight setback, but the three-year-old grey will be good to go soon.
"Kranji Jewel trialled on Tuesday and we have to find the right race for him," said Lim.
"Gold Ten Sixty-One had some hoof issues, but we've fixed them. He'll be ready for his first gallop soon."
Lim revealed that Al Rashid has not given any indication of new investments any time soon, but he himself is expecting reinforcements.
"I've got a few horses in quarantine overseas and they should be coming up here soon," said Lim.
"These last couple of years have been challenging, but I'm looking forward to getting new horses and new owners on board."
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