Full circle moment for Meagher at Flemington

When Lim’s Kosciuszko lined up in the Listed Hilton Nicholas Straight Six (1200m) at Flemington on Andrew Ramsden Stakes Day, it wasn’t just another race.

The Singaporean champion – with 22 wins from 29 starts, including 10 Singapore Group 1s – was making his long-awaited Australian debut.

For trainer Dan Meagher, it was more than a professional milestone. It was the start of a new chapter, and a homecoming years in the making.

The move back to Australia followed the closure of Singapore racing last October, ending an era for Meagher. Now based at Pakenham alongside his brothers Chris and Paul, he’s in the early stages of rebuilding the family training business on Victorian soil.

“We had our last meeting in Singapore on October 5 last year, then I came back in late January,” he said. While it’s his operation, he’s quick to acknowledge the collective effort behind it. “It’s my business, but my brothers support me in it,” he said.

“We’ve got 40 boxes, about 25 in work at the moment – including a few from Chris’s place in Queensland and six from Singapore. They’ve spent the last few months acclimatising.”

The Meagher name in racing spans generations and continents. It began with Hall of Fame inductee John Meagher, a prolific trainer of winners in both Australia and Singapore – most famously What A Nuisance, who claimed the 1985 Melbourne Cup.

From a young age, Chris, Paul and Dan were immersed in stable life, working their way up from trackwork riders and stablehands to assistant trainers and eventually forming official partnerships with their father. It’s been a lifetime of learning and evolving within the family profession.

The race at Headquarters on Andrew Ramsden Stakes Day was steeped in nostalgia. Though What A Nuisance was officially trained out of Epsom, it was at Flemington’s Chicquita Lodge – where John Meagher trained from 1986 to 2000 – that Dan spent his formative years, helping build many of the facilities still in use today.

Meagher’s best friend, Glen Thompson, now trains out of Flemington stables next door to Chicquita Lodge, and a recent visit stirred some emotional memories.

“Dad’s not well at the moment, so it was really special seeing that place again.”

Dan, Chris and John have worked in various combinations over the years, often with Singapore as the thread that bound them.

“The three of us were together in 2012, then in 2016 Dan went to Singapore, so it was me and Dad,” Chris recalled.

“Then I went to Singapore not long after that, so it was just Dad.” When Chris returned to Australia, he and John combined for Group 1 glory with Pippie, who won the Oakleigh Plate in 2020.

Meagher trained successfully in Singapore from 2016, but relocated after racing there wound up.

“I do miss Singapore – I met my wife there, it’s where I trained my first winners – but I’m excited about the opportunity here and being home again.”

Chris was trackside with his brother, hoping for a fairytale finish. “It would be incredible this early in my career to get a winner at Flemington,” Meagher said before the race.

“Of course I’d love to win a Melbourne Cup – every trainer would – but I’d be thrilled just to win a race at Flemington. That’s the dream.”

While Lim’s Kosciuszko didn’t win, his third-place finish in a 15-horse field was admirable. Racing down the famed Flemington straight for the first time on a heavy track he carried a topweight of 60.5kg and still finished within half a length of the winner, $61 outsider Title Fighter.

“He’s been a great horse and he owes us nothing,” Meagher said before the race. “If he gave us any sign he didn’t want to do it anymore, we’d retire him. But he’s happy and he looks well.”

Getting to Flemington was an achievement in itself. “He’s never travelled like this before. In Singapore it was stable to track – no floats – and he’s never seen a straight course in his life,” Meagher said. “He’s also never run on anything softer than what we’d call a Good 4.”

Trainers aren’t usually in it for minor placings, but Meagher was pleased with the result. “I’m rapt with that first run,” he said.

“It was a heavy track and he was giving 6kg to the next horse. It’s a different ball game racing in the city, but he went terrific.”

Jockey Ben Melham was equally positive. “Ben said he felt like a good horse underneath him – he was surprised by the feel he got,” Meagher said.

What’s next for Lim’s Kosciuszko remains undecided. The Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap in Brisbane on 14 June is under consideration, but Meagher is playing it safe. With plenty of winter options and the horse proving he still belongs at the top level, patience could pay off.

Meanwhile, Meagher is excited about another of his horses now based in Victoria. “The one I’m really excited about is Lim’s Saltoro. He’s on the way up. The old fella might have the reputation, but Saltoro is the one coming into his own.”

Life is full for Meagher at his new base – adjusting to the weather, tracks and travel, while raising three young children with his wife – but the direction feels right.

“I’d love to get the Meagher name back out there on a consistent basis, especially as a tribute to Dad and everything he’s done for racing,” he said.

“It’s a tough industry, but it’s good to have dreams. And it’s great to be back.”