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New Paper
08-07-2025
- Sport
- New Paper
Keep highly rated trio in Metro A on the radar
It could pay to put your attention on three highly rated gallopers, Circuit Mission, Platinum Emperor and Cheval Blanc, at the Sungai Besi meeting on July 12. They are "ranked" the top three - in order of their ratings - in the handicaps of the main race coming up at the Selangor Turf Club. Three days from now, we could see them fighting out the finish in that Metro A sprint (1,400m). Circuit Mission is now sitting on 99 points. Platinum Emperor is at 98 while Cheval Blanc is - on 93 rating points - not too far behind. But being rated in the 90s is not the only thing they have in common. On the morning of July 8, all three were out on the training track and they have impressed all who were taking in the action. Taking it from the top, we have Circuit Mission running the 600m in a fluent 38.9sec. Platinum Emperor went a tick faster, clocking 38.3sec while Cheval Blanc stopped the clock at 38.7sec. Trained by Frank Maynard, Circuit Mission used to be with Lee Freedman, Cliff Brown and then James Peters at Kranji. Between Singapore and Malaysia, he has won eight races - on the Kranji, Penang and Kuala Lumpur tracks. Even before the son of High Chaparral kick-started his career in Asia, he won twice in the UK when trained by Hugo Palmer. Now, at 10, Circuit Mission showed he can still bring theatre to the game and is not about ready to be put out to pasture. The Irish-bred's last victory might have come almost a year ago in the Group 1 Penang Sprint Trophy (1,400m) on July 28, 2024, and his subsequent three runs were nothing to shout about, but he showed improvement at his last start. Ridden by Akmazani Mazuki in the Supreme A event (1,200m) on June 29, Circuit Mission would not have threatened the top three in any way, but he still made ground in the final 100m to finish fifth. Being the bread-and-butter galloper that he is, he will give his best on July 12. And, on the strength of his most recent training gallop, he could puncture a few egos. As for Platinum Emperor, he comes into the picture after a break of more than 100 days and had an easy spin under jockey Marc Lerner in a barrier trial on June 17. The Ricky Choi-trained galloper was second-up at his last run in the Group 1 Tunku Gold Cup (1,200m) on March 16. That day, under Nuqman Rozi, the Sweynesse five-year-old turned in a decent show, running third behind winner Noah Khan and runner-up, Antipodean. That came a month after Platinum Emperor had smacked his rivals in the Wilayah Silver Bowl Trophy (1,200m) on Feb 2 and won at his first race in Malaysia. Choi has been patient with the eight-time winner from Macau, who is likely to garner interest third-up. Then, from the training track, there was Cheval Blanc. The second of Maynard's pair entered for the sprint on July 12, Cheval Blanc is - like Circuit Mission - a 10-year-old Irish-bred. The son of Red Jazz has faced the starter five times this season. The last occasion was on June 29 and, in a muddling sort of race, Cheval Blanc took fourth. After the run in the Supreme A contest (1,200m), jockey Wong Kam Chong explained to the stewards that he was inconvenienced when his reins were briefly entangled over the neck of Cheval Blanc. There were no such problems during his romp under the morning sun and Maynard would have been pleased with the work put in by his old stager. Outside of that Metro A race, there was good work from Valerie Pegasus. Down to contest the Class 5A event over the short and sharp 1,020m, the five-year-old galloper tossed in a winning workout when running the 600m in 40sec. It was a solid show and very worthy of a line or two in that black book of "horses to follow". Prepared by Nick Selvan, whose last winner was Latin Legend in the Supreme B (1,600m) race on July 6, Valerie Pegasus has been winless in his next five starts after March 1, when he led from barrier to box in the Class 5A race (1,150m) at Sungai Besi. At his last start on June 15, Valerie Pegasus was outpaced in a Class 5A race (1,275m) before finishing seventh to Lightning Gal. The drop in distance could be what he is looking for and, on the back of that honest workout, his Malaysian handler could be looking at a good showing from this son of Shamexpress. brian@
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New Straits Times
31-05-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
A final gallop at Penang Turf Club [WATCH]
GEORGE TOWN: As the sun dips below the horizon today, the thunder of hooves will echo across the Penang Turf Club (PTC) for the final time. The last race meeting will not just mark the end of a sporting calendar, but also the closing chapter of one of Penang's most cherished legacies. Founded in 1864, the PTC is Malaysia's oldest turf club. For more than 160 years, it has been more than a racecourse — it was a social anchor, a green sanctuary in a city increasingly consumed by steel and concrete, and a place where friendships, memories and legends were made. Once nestled in the heart of the community, its story began in Macalister Road before relocating to its current grounds near Bukit Gantung in 1939. Its storied turf has hosted everything from the illustrious Penang Sprint Trophy and the Governor's Gold Cup to lively weekends filled with punters and families. But following a unanimous vote by its members at an extraordinary general meeting last month, the club will now begin a formal dissolution process expected to take up to two years. "We used to see horses being led all the way to Gurney Drive for a bath," recalled Lim, a 75-year-old retired member who spent decades within the club's embrace. "Weekends were mad with people. Police had to manage the traffic. You could feel the energy in the air," he said. Today, only eight horses remain in the stables, cared for by two trainers. The once-bustling paddocks are now quiet. The grandstand seats are mostly empty. Yet for people like Lim, every corner of the club still whispers echoes of a bygone era. "It was never just about racing. It was where people gathered, where children ran across the lawns, where you caught up with the same faces every week," he said. The closure reflects broader regional trends. Turf clubs across Asia face similar fates — Singapore's 180-year-old club shut down last October and Macau's Jockey Club bowed out even earlier. The reasons are familiar — dwindling attendance, rising operational costs and the lingering financial aftershocks of the Covid-19 pandemic. Still, the grief in Penang runs deeper. For many, the PTC was one of the city's cultural lungs — a unique institution where high society rubbed shoulders with everyday enthusiasts, united by a shared love for the sport and the stories behind each race. A 62-year-old business owner, a regular visitor to the PTC who preferred not to be named, summed up the loss: "It's not about the money we won or lost. It was about being part of something. The thrill, the community, the ritual. Now it's just… gone." With racing set to cease, the fate of the sprawling grounds remains uncertain. Some fear the land will give way to luxury condominiums or shopping malls. Others hope for something more lasting. "I hope they turn it into a park. A real park, with trees and trails and maybe a small museum. Don't let them erase all this," said Lim. The idea of transforming the site into a Central Park-style public space has gained quiet traction, particularly among heritage advocates. They see it as a way to honour the club's legacy while offering future generations a place to breathe, reflect and remember. For now, all eyes turn to May 31 — a date that will be etched in the hearts of many. The final race will not simply mark the end of a season. It will be the last gallop of a grand dame of Penang, bowing out not with fanfare, but with quiet dignity. And though the gates may soon close and the turf lie still, the stories born on these grounds — of laughter, loss, luck and love — will live on, just as they always have.
