Latest news with #SingaporeTurfClub
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Retired racing journo saddened by PTC's end
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." s 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."
New Paper
4 days ago
- Sport
- New Paper
Ong's first and last stab at Penang races
Jason Ong will have his first runners in Penang on May 31, but they will also be his last. That new milestone for the two-time Singapore champion trainer begins and ends so quickly, simply because the Penang Turf Club will be staging its last meeting in 162 years of existence on that day. Low turnover and attendances have forced the second of the original four Malayan Racing Association clubs to close doors after the Singapore Turf Club on Oct 5. Ong, who has never set foot at the Batu Gantong track but did visit Penang as the typical Singaporean tourist in search of its famous street food, said he could not possibly let this last chance of saddling a runner there go begging. "I've been to Penang but not its races. It'll be nice to be there," said Ong. "There's nothing to celebrate, obviously, but I can now say I had a runner there before it closes." After relocating to Kuala Lumpur in November, the 37-year-old handler has not taken long to bring his Singapore dominance up north. With his powerful Kranji squad more or less moving wholesale, his haul of two to three winners a week have already become part of the Sungai Besi landscape. Ong is already well clear at the top on 41 wins, including two at his only Ipoh visit on March 30. Penang was always on his radar, but opportunities were rare, with only one meeting (March 8) held after so many cancellations. The end was nigh and, when the club announced it was curtains, Ong circled its final day in red. Of particular interest is the highlight, the RM250,000 (S$76,000) Penang Turf Club Farewell Trophy, which, unlike the Grand Singapore Gold Cup (2,000m) deliberately run as Singapore's very last race, is slated as the penultimate event on the seven-race programme. The 1,300m trip of the Special Rapid Stakes A made Ong wince, but he would still press on with his first choice - Pacific Vampire. Ironically, the noted speedster also ran in the Singapore Gold Cup but was a spent force 500m out before floundering to last place. While Ong would have preferred 1,200m, he is convinced the Impending five-year-old will not raise the white flag so early this time. "Vampire is the best horse in my barn. He was my logical choice for the race," he said. "The 1,300m is a question mark as all his wins (four in Kranji and two in Kuala Lumpur) have not been beyond 1,200m, but he has matured a lot here. "He needed two or three runs to get right, but we saw how he relaxed better in his last two wins. "I think he can see out the 1,300m, but of course, we don't know how he'll handle the travelling and the different track. "Penang doesn't look much different from KL. He'll be right." Pacific Vampire jumps from the inside alley with Jerlyn Seow up. If he and three stablemates come up short, Ong has one last bullet in the actual Penang swansong. Pacific Padrino, who is also first emergency in the Farewell Trophy, is in the last race, another Special Rapid Stakes A over 1,300m. manyan@
