It was success at his third try in a Malaysian Group 1 event for the Australian-bred Sakima (More Than Ready - Quadrophonic Sound by Ideal Planet) in the RM500,000 Perak Derby (Mal Gr 1) over 2400m at Ipoh on Sunday. It is a phenomenal rise to fame for the Australian five-year-old who had just six starts in 2009 for two wins and four placings, and a further five outings last year for two wins.

Trained by Johnny Lim for Lion Head Stable, Sakima was a creditable sixth to Risky Business in the Yang Di Pertua Negeri Gold Cup (held at Sungei Besi) last December and after a brief let-up, finished fifth to Good Nature in the Selangor Gold Cup over 1600m earlier this month.

Stepping up on that effort, Sakima revelled in the desperate conditions, braving heavy rain and the wet track to beat Flying Cat by five lengths.

After the running of the Derby, the Perak Turf Club called off the remaining four races for the afternoon due to a water-logged track.