Retired racing journo saddened by PTC's end

New Straits Times

2 days ago

KUALA LUMPUR: Retired horse- racing journalist Ram Derayan sighs when the topic of Penang Turf Club (PTC), which is set to close down after 160 years, comes up.
"I always knew it could happen," said Ram, who wrote under the byline Go Ram.
"Of course, it is very sad. I spent a lot of time there," said Ram, who is born and raised in Penang.
The former New Straits Times and The Star correspondent spent countless hours at PTC in his 45 years covering the racing beat.
"PTC is a great club that had many champion trainers there in the past.
"There were easily more than 20 of them (trainers) and most of them were foreigners.
"The highlight each year was the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Gold Cup.
"The Gold Cup was the first Malaysian event to feature prize money of over RM1 million."
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Ram said PTC, which hosted its final race yesterday, was a staple of the Malaysian Racing Association circuit alongside the Perak Turf Club, Selangor Turf Club and the Singapore Turf Club.
"The horses would travel between Penang, Ipoh, Selangor, as well as Kranji in Singapore for races.
"I would go with them to write about the races."
Still, he said he was not surprised that PTC had reached its final lap, owing to the decline in the sport's popularity.
In recent years, a number of turf clubs in Asia has either closed down or ceased to host races.
The Singapore Turf Club held its final race on Oct 5, 2024.
Ram, however, believes it is possible for horse racing to bounce back with the right support.
"Clubs have to do their part and bring in or develop new trainers and promote the sport more."