Faithful Leader's 2nd Feature
Sharon Zhang
Faithful Leader cruised home to a comfortable win in the RM100,000 (S$30,100) Perak Community Shield (1,200m) in Ipoh on May 11.
Trained by Richard Lim, the Super One six-year-old coincidentally brought up Lim's second trophy win - as a trainer - in Malaysia.
The former Malaysian champion jockey was no stranger to feature race wins, which included the 2006 Group 2 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (1,800m) on King And King at Kranji, as well as two Tunku Gold Cups in Kuala Lumpur with After Me Please (2002) and Golden Rainbow (2006), in his 16-year career in the saddle, but he only began training in Singapore in 2022.
Lim bagged his first and only Group win in Singapore with Super Salute in the 2024 Group 3 New Year Cup (1,200m).
After relocating to Malaysia at the end of 2024, the Ipoh-born Singaporean trainer collected his first silverware in Malaysia when Faithful Leader won the Japan Racing Association (JRA) Trophy, a Class 3 race (1,100m) in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 31.
A one-time winner over 1,000m in Singapore, Faithful Leader came from midfield to beat his rivals at his last win, but he assumed the front runner's role at his first race in Ipoh on May 11.
Ridden by Saddam Saari for the first time, Faithful Leader jumped well from barrier 11 and quickly shot to the front to lead the field while January (Harmeet Singh Gill) and Elliot Ness (Shazmin Sudin) stalked the speed in second and third respectively.
Turning for home, the $76 shot showed no signs of giving up. 2025 Group 1 Tunku Gold Cup (1,200m) winner Noah Khan (Wong Kam Chong) began motoring home on his outside at the 300m, albeit he was still four lengths behind the leader.
January did not make much ground on the inside, so it was Faithful Leader who eventually drew clear for a 3¼-length win from Noah Khan.
January hung on for third while last-start winner Super Salute (Shiva Ngyanasegaran), who stormed home late on the outside, finished fourth.
Lim was optimistic of a good run from Faithful Leader, who ran fourth to Energy Baby in a Class 2 race (1,400m) at Sungai Besi on April 27, and has plans to enter him in another feature race next.
"He has been improving and running well, so I wanted to run him in this race," said Lim, whose one other runner, The Shadow, finished unplaced at the Ipoh meeting.
"I thought if he ran well today, I will run him in Penang's Farewell Trophy. So, that's the plan for now.
"This is the second cup race I have won in Malaysia as a trainer. It was also Faithful Leader who won my first cup race here in the JRA Trophy earlier this year.
"I didn't know Saddam before the race, but because S John (John Sundradas) doesn't hold a licence here, and some riders were suspended after the recent meetings (in Kuala Lumpur on May 3 and 4), I got Saddam on.
"This horse is a straightforward ride. He always goes in front.
"I was a bit worried about Noah Khan before the race but he was still a few lengths behind my horse in the straight. By the 200m, I thought my horse had a good chance of winning.
"He has had tendon injury to his front legs before, but he has recovered now. I'm also happy for the owners (Hwa Yi No 4 Stable) as they have been with me for a long time now."
Founded in 1864, the Penang Turf Club is set to close after suffering from dwindling attendances and financial loss.
It has only held one meeting this year thus far - on March 8 - and will hold its final meeting on May 31, which will see the running of the Penang's Farewell Trophy (1,300m).
Should Faithful Leader run in the Farewell Trophy, it would be Lim's second meeting at Batu Gantung racecourse.
He ran Dream Alliance in the Group 1 Yang Di-Pertua Negeri Penang Gold Cup (2,000m) on Dec 29, 2024, but the four-time winner from Singapore did not put in a blow as he finished last to Lucky Magic.
Malaysian trainer Nick Selvan pulled off a hat-trick of wins at the 10-race meeting on May 11.
Prince Lonhro ($8) first claimed the RM23,000 Class 4B race (1,300m) before Rhett Butler ($18) took out the RM17,000 Class 5B event (1,400m), and Kick ($12) scored a last-gasp win in the last race, the RM20,000 Class 5A contest (1,400m).
sharonzhang@sph.com.sg
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