Lim started training in his own right in 2022 and after a slow start – his first winner (Metal World on March 13) was his 26th starter – finished his first full season with 21 winners and a very respectable 12th position on the Singapore trainers' premiership.
There were no stars in his stable, so the Singaporean trainer had to earn his stripes with 'bread-and-butter' types but as the winning ledger grew, so did horse numbers with new stock and new owners.
It was still a surprise though when Lim nominated a whopping 15 horses for the first meeting of the 2023 season on January 7, in which nine ran. Lim backed that up with 11 runners on January 14 and another eight on Monday's Chinese New Year meeting (January 23).
Faithful Leader (January 7) and Mr Hooper (January 14) kept the winners ticking over but the sheer weight of numbers heading to the races suggests more will come for a stable that has obviously been very busy over the break.
Last-start winner, Faithful Leader, spearheads another 12 horses for Lim on the 12-race meeting on Saturday, and he hopes that the same horse and jockey combination could get the job done again in the $50,000 Class 4 race over 1000m.
"I thought he won well last start and he looks a good chance again," said Lim, a former Malaysian champion jockey who rode for 16 years in both Singapore and Malaysia.
"(Apprentice jockey) Akmazani (Mazuki) rode him well, so there's no reason not to put him back on.
"The (four-kilo) claim will help again and he's (Faithful Leader) working well, so he's definitely one of my better chances."
Lim also has two maidens that should be competitive – Groovy in the $75,000 Restricted Maiden Division 1 race over 1200m and King's Gambit in the $20,000 Maiden race over 1600m - but suggests the pair will both improve with racing.
"Groovy has a bit to learn," explained the only trainer who rides his horses in barrier trials nowadays.
"He placed on debut (third behind Hole In One on November 26) over 1200m and was competitive at his last start (January 7) but I think he will need longer to win.
"Same for King's Gambit. He's still learning a lot at trackwork and has more to offer. He's very nervous so I have to put earmuffs on this week – that might help - and it's not a strong field.
"(Jockey) Ronnie (Stewart) will ride them both. He's an experienced rider and that will help them while they are learning."
King's Gambit is owned by the Everest Racing Stable (Victor Chng), who also has Knight's Gambit running in the $50,000 Class 4 Division 2 race over 1200m. Lim credits owners like Chng for his stable's solid progress.
"Victor is a good supporter. He has some raced and unraced horses in the stable and more coming from Australia," he said.
"All my owners have looked after me with raced horses and new horses. I have also purchased some as well, so I'm always looking for new owners to join the stable."
Lim currently has 43 horses on hand and with more coming soon, he is happy with how the stable is running both on and off the track.
"We run the horses when they find the right races," Lim explained.
"It's good for our owners to have plenty of runners but we don't push them (the horses) if they are not ready.
"I targeted 20 winners last year and got one more (21), so hopefully we can reach our target this year.
"The staff have been doing a great job too and I'm fortunate to have such a good team. (Senior track riders) Joo Eng Chong, Shanker (Alias Kamehal) and (stable supervisor) Mahadi (Azmandi Ismail) are just three that make my job easy and hopefully, we can keep finding winners."
